The place where the two parties agreed to meet was an open area, but not far to the south was a dense jungle.
This is the best place to set up an ambush, because there is a swamp outside the jungle, so you don't have to worry about being taken back.
The Duke of Damen has ambushed all his main troops in the jungle. Today is the last and best chance for a Jedi counterattack.
Alejandro's current identity is a squad leader. After all, he has been captured before, so it would be nice to be given an official position.
He has fifty people on hand, and the ambush location is the closest. In other words, he needs to rush forward as soon as possible when Duke Damman gives the order.
In other words, it is to clear obstacles for the main force and act as cannon fodder.
"Captain, the time is almost up!"
The adjutant Ertugrul behind him looked at the sky and reminded nervously.
Alejandro glanced at him and said dissatisfied: "Why are you urging me? It's not time yet?"
"But... His Majesty the Duke has given instructions, and it may be done in advance..."
"Why do you care so much? Besides, even if we act in advance, there are thousands of people ambushed in the jungle, and there are still 20,000 people in the city who can act at any time. Can we, with only fifty people, affect the situation of the battle?"
"This is the truth, but..."
"Okay, just wait!"
Alejandro waved his hand impatiently, then covered his head and closed his eyes to take a nap.
Ertugrul didn't know what to do. At this time, someone behind him persuaded: "The captain is right. We have so few people that can't make any difference at all. If we rush too early, we will definitely die. Let's wait and see."
.”
"shut up!"
Ertugrul suddenly broke out, I am an adjutant, I can't scold the commander, and I can't scold a mere soldier?
"This is the order given by the Duke himself. Disrespecting the orderer is equivalent to disobeying orders on the battlefield and is a capital offense!"
Rather than saying these words to his subordinates, he might as well say them to Alejandro on the side.
The chief officer takes the lead in being passive and sabotaging his work, and disobeys orders on the battlefield. This is a capital crime!
As an adjutant, he can replace the chief officer when necessary, provided that he has the support of the soldiers.
That's why he was so righteous in order to make the seriousness of the matter clear.
How could Alejandro not hear it? He turned over and said with a mocking look on his face: "El, are you saying this for me?"
"My subordinates dare not. I am just relaying the Duke's order. I hope the captain will put the overall situation first and not miss the Duke's business."
"How much salary will your lord Duke pay you every month?"
Ertugrul was stunned for a moment, and then said: "Three Ike silver coins every month."
"hehe……"
Alejandro smiled contemptuously and said: "Do you know how much severance pay the Orientals give to prisoners?"
Hearing this, Ertugrul immediately darkened his face, vaguely feeling that something was not right.
He had long heard that the Orientals would not kill the prisoners, but would also give them severance pay, five gold coins per person.
This is a gold coin!
The currency systems of the Ottomans and the Eastern Romans were basically the same, similar to the gold and silver of the Ming Dynasty. One gold coin could be exchanged for ten silver Ike coins.
I worked hard for a month to get three silver coins, which was money I had to sacrifice my life for.
He easily took nearly twenty times his own!
"Captain Alexandre, what do you mean by this?"
"It's not interesting. I just want to tell you that everyone still has a choice. You don't have to work for the Duke of Damen. Besides, you can't sell it for much."
"Captain Alexandre, do you know that saying these words on the battlefield is already encouraging soldiers to surrender, which is suspected of treason!"
"Treason? Haha..."
Alejandro suddenly laughed, and then said: "Which country are you rebelling against?"
"Of course the Ottoman Empire!"
"Is the Ottoman Empire... still there? Where is His Majesty the King?"
"His Majesty the King died for his country, and we should inherit his legacy and recapture Constantinople from the Easterners!"
"Then what?"
"Then...what do you mean?"
"I'm asking you, if Constantinople is recaptured, who will be the king?"
Ertugrul thought for a while and said: "The royal blood relatives no longer exist. If Constantinople can be recaptured and rewarded based on merit, the Duke of Damman should inherit the throne."
The heirs of Osman had a style of fratricide.
After Muhad succeeded to the throne, he immediately killed all his brothers in order to prevent anyone from usurping power.
Now it's better, I can't even find an heir.
Alejandro continued: "Do you think that Duke Damman has always been loyal to the empire and has never had any second thoughts?"
"Of course!"
"Haha, that's ridiculous!"
Alejandro laughed heartily, and then said: "Let me ask you, the Duke of Damman took away 200,000 elites, why did the Easterners go directly to Constantinople?"
Ertugrul said: "The Duke of Damman made the city of Zigat so impregnable that the Easterners could not attack it, so they took a detour and attacked Constantinople."
"Doesn't the Duke of Damen know the consequences?"
"It should be...I didn't expect it..."
"El, do you know what we heard when we were in Constantinople?"
"What?"
"The Orientals have long ago reached an agreement with the Duke of Damman to abandon the city of Zigat and attack Constantinople directly."
After hearing this, Ertugrul was greatly shocked and hurriedly said: "Impossible, absolutely impossible!"
"Then you can explain why Duke Damman watched the Easterners take a detour to attack Constantinople, but did not send troops to intercept it. When he learned that His Majesty the King was besieged, he did not choose to send troops to rescue him. Tell me.
,What exactly is this for?"
Alejandro questioned El and confused him.
At this moment, his heart began to waver, could it be true...
"No, the Duke of Damen set up an ambush in order to annihilate the Easterners in one fell swoop. How could he be complicit?"
"I advise you to save it. This is all a game of power. The Duke of Damen just wants to maintain his position, so he is putting pressure on the Easterners. Just watch, this battle will not be fought."
Ertugrul lowered his head and fell into deep thought.
After a conversation, the values in his heart began to collapse.
Has the Duke of Damen really surrendered?
Alejandro reached out and patted El on the shoulder, and said: "There is a saying among the Orientals, which is that people who do not work for themselves will be punished by heaven and earth. If we suffer and suffer, and even risk our lives, what can we get in exchange?"
"A mere three silver coins a month are enough for you to support your family?"
"Do you know that the Easterners have allocated land to many civilians and canceled their status as untouchables? Even if you stay with Duke Damman, what will happen?"
"Your life is not as good as those untouchables before. If it were me, I would surrender to the Easterners, receive a large severance package, and then use the money to do some small business. It is better than risking my life, right?
"
Alejandro is no longer a suspect, but is spreading talk of surrender openly.
Ertugrul should have been very angry, and then justly accused the other party of being a traitor and betraying the Ottoman Empire. However, those words just made his faith collapse. At this time, he couldn't help but start to doubt, could it be that his previous knowledge
Is it really wrong?
Alejandro looked around. Many soldiers had reactions similar to El's. They were all thinking hard about whether they should hold on or simply surrender.
Over the past few days, the soldiers who surrendered from Constantinople have been spreading various rumors, and everyone can produce gold coins as evidence to prove that the Easterners really did not mistreat the prisoners and treated them well.
In addition, news has come one after another that the Orientals are allocating land to common people, removing their hats from low-caste people, and even abolishing the caste system directly.
Under the strict caste system, the nobles look at civilians or soldiers as if they were looking at a dog.
If everyone can really be equal in the future, it would be a dream... no, it would be a good thing that I don't even dare to dream of!
Recently there have been rumors that interracial marriages will provide a lot of benefits, free schools, nursing homes, medical clinics, etc...
Even though the Duke of Damen has been deliberately blocking the news, these messages are like sneaking into the night with the wind, moistening things silently, how can it be blocked.
And all of this is just a chess piece that Zhu Qizhen left behind before leaving.
He did not expect Alejandro's five hundred people to be able to instigate rebellion from within or even launch a coup, because the risk of doing so was too high and no one was willing to take the risk.
However, it is enough to spread the news and make the defenders of Zigat City feel anti-war and war-weary.
Coupled with the series of policies implemented by Zhu Qiyu in Constantinople, which truly spoke for the people at the bottom, these are no longer considered conspiracy, but conspiracy.
Without comparison, there is no harm.
Alejandro and the five hundred soldiers were like a seed that took root and sprouted in the city of Zigat until it grew into a towering tree.
If you look at your life before and now, the difference is obvious.
The people at the bottom are always the largest group in the world, but they are also the most vulnerable to exploitation and oppression. Moreover, many times, they have no way to deal with it.
No matter which country the people are in, they are the most simple people. Their wish is very simple, which is to have food to eat and clothing to wear.
If you can receive even a little bit of respect, it will be a great favor.
Therefore, the first thing the Ming army did after taking Constantinople was to redistribute land and abolish the caste system.
With land, there is the most basic guarantee of life so that people can survive.
Abolition of the caste system is a sign of respect for lower caste groups.
We are all raised by our mothers and fathers, with two shoulders supporting one head. Why should you be nobler than me?
When nobles lose their privileges, there will naturally be the greatest opposition.
However, they have always ignored one thing, that is, the common people at the bottom are the most important components of this society.
A few declining nobles have lost all their power. Even if they object, what's the use?
If one person objects, but a hundred, a thousand, or even ten thousand people agree, then the opponent can only be submerged by the trend of the times, and not even a splash can be seen.
This was the case with the nobles of Constantinople. They shouted about injustice behind their backs but did not dare to speak out. Not to mention the Eastern troops, the original Ottoman people alone could beat them to death.
Because the people have benefited, they don't want to go back to the past, that's all.
Alejandro's task was to spread the news to Zigat City. If the five hundred people went to surrender, they would inevitably be disrupted and reorganized, which would be more conducive to the spread of the news.
They continued to exaggerate the terrifying combat power of the Ming army in the military camp, as well as various measures to treat prisoners and civilians preferentially.
To this day, among the defenders of Zigat City, rumors are flying all over the sky. Even if everyone does not believe it, they have turned to a wait-and-see attitude.
It's not a bad thing to let the bullets fly for a while and wait for the situation to develop further.
When members of a team have such emotions, it is conceivable that others must be similar.
Facing the ambush of Duke Damman, although everyone arrived at the designated location as planned, all they thought about was to wait and see.
How powerful the Ming army was. They even captured Constantinople. Wouldn't they risk death if they rushed forward rashly?
Even if you want to rush, others will rush first.
When the time comes, you can choose whether to fight or retreat, and you won't become cannon fodder as soon as you come up.
Everyone had their own evil intentions, but they didn't know that others had the same idea.
At this moment, a rapid whistle sounded, indicating the start of the attack.
According to Duke Damman's arrangement, the Prince of Ming Dynasty can be captured alive with just one meeting.
He couldn't help but smile, because he would soon become the new king of the Ottoman Empire, but...
Something was wrong, because the whistle sounded but there was no movement.
The surroundings were so quiet that he couldn't help but wonder, was this the ambush point?
Are all the tens of thousands of people in the jungle deaf?
Even if one or two of them can't hear it, what about the others?
Boom!
Suddenly, there was a loud noise in the distance, and the ground beneath my feet was shaking!
Duke Daman's pupils shrank, and he secretly cried out.
The sound of horse hooves could be heard ahead, and a large group of cavalry rushed towards them.
Of course, Zhu Qiyu would not be stupid enough to go to the meeting alone. Just in order not to alert the other party, the ambush would be farther away.
Alejandro had already sent out the news that the soldiers and horses of Zigat City were ambushing in the jungle, about one mile away from the meeting place, and his own side, relying on the long range of firearms, was ambushing two miles away.
Just wait for the other party to send a signal, and your side can still be the last to arrive first.
The Duke of Damen was anxious. Why was his attack signal the other party's?
In the jungle, Alejandro looked at El as if he were a fool.
"See for yourself, it's not that we are not moving, everyone is waiting and watching. Everyone has long lost confidence in Duke Damman. If you rush out, you will definitely die!"
El was also dumbfounded. Tens of thousands of people were ambushed, but no one rushed forward.
Could it be that... I was really wrong?
Seeing that his face was ugly, Alejandro patted his shoulder again and said: "Don't worry, the Easterners are not killing people, they are only targeting the Duke of Damen, we will be fine for sure!"