Portugal became independent from the Spanish Empire, but no matter what, it has always lived in the shadow of Spain.
If one day Portugal could annex Spain and become the master of the Spanish, it would be a great achievement for João IV.
I just don’t know if what the sovereign country agreed to is Spanish territory?
Going to the Ming Dynasty to pay tribute and accept the canonization could not be changed. No matter what he thought in his heart, João IV could only go to the capital of the Ming Dynasty in the end.
When leaving the house, Du Quan suggested to John IV: "Your Highness, it is very necessary to learn the Mandarin of the Ming Dynasty. Among the people I sent to accompany you to the capital of the Ming Dynasty, there are those who are proficient in the Mandarin of the Ming Dynasty. You can take advantage of this opportunity."
During this time, learn more and after arriving in the Ming Dynasty, you will be able to understand more about the situation in the Ming Dynasty, which will be of great help to you!"
In order to prove the correctness of his suggestion, he also gave Joao IV a supplementary description of some conditions in the Ming Dynasty. At the end, Joao IV couldn't help but sigh with emotion: "I didn't expect that I am so old, and I have to do it again."
Go learn a foreign language, yeah!”
…………………………
One thing that did not surprise them was that just when João IV boarded the Ming Dynasty's supply ship to go to the Ming Dynasty mainland, three Portuguese sailing ships loaded with rifled flintlock muskets arrived in Lisbon.
They didn't expect that the sky had changed in Lisbon. By the time they saw Lisbon, the multinational fleets here had also discovered them and surrounded them one after another.
Du Chu was not wrong at all. After understanding the situation and facing the siege, the Portuguese on the three ships negotiated with the enemies of the country and finally sold the rifled flintlock guns and some rifled artillery at a good price.
Although at this time, Europe had begun to imitate rifled guns on a large scale, their performance was still not comparable to those produced by the Ming Dynasty's military industry. The Ming Dynasty's steelmaking technology and various mechanical tools were already several steps ahead of Europe.
Therefore, these three military products produced by the Ming Dynasty, which were already two generations behind and obsolete, still triggered frenzied looting by France, Britain, Spain, the Netherlands and other countries.
Under the strong power of Condé and Cromwell, France and England each obtained 5,000 rifled flintlock muskets, while the Netherlands and Spain each received 2,500.
For the Ming Dynasty, this was just a hair loss, but for small European countries, it suddenly increased their strength. If they relied solely on their own domestic production, so many rifled flintlock guns would cost at least one
It will take years to produce. Unless they can really start mass production one day. But at least in this early stage of imitation, it is impossible to have this technical capability.
The acquisition of this batch of firearms has greatly increased the courage of these countries.
The commanders-in-chief of various countries who originally gathered in Lisbon because of the attack on Portugal finally unanimously decided to move the coalition headquarters to the island of Malta in the Mediterranean Sea.
The island of Malta is an important node in European countries' defense against the Ottoman Empire. The Knights of St. John are stationed on this island to guard the main transportation routes in the East and West Mediterranean and the sea lanes between southern Europe and North Africa. They once repelled the attack of more than 30,000 Ottoman troops.
The relocation of the southern coalition headquarters to Malta means that the coalition is preparing to take action against the Ming army in the Middle East.
Of course, the reason why they made such a decision was only because they got a batch of rifled flintlock guns for nothing, but because the spies they sent to the Middle East reported that the canal they had dug was almost reaching the Mediterranean.
If the Southern Allied Forces do not attack before the canal is completed, the Ming Navy will enter the Mediterranean. The Dutch, including the British, are extremely exaggerating the power of the Ming Navy, and it is absolutely impossible to let the Ming Navy
Entering the Mediterranean Sea.
Although at this time, the Europeans had been stealing steam engine drawings for several years and had really begun to use steam engines, they had not yet been able to perfect the application of steam engines. When using steam engines, they always encountered problems of one kind or another.
In terms of ships, Europeans can only transform steam paddle-wheel battleships. And because sailing battleships are special, the modification work is particularly difficult, let alone how to figure out a better steam battleship.
Since the Age of Discovery, the warships that the Europeans were proud of have finally been abandoned by themselves and replaced by landing battles to deal with the Ming army.
……………………
On the northern front, the European coalition forces also began to mobilize.
Various countries promote the Devil of the East, which will help them collect as much food and grass as possible so that the people will not easily riot, recruit troops, and prepare for a big war.
The Allied commanders on the northern front are actually very famous. Since Carl X Gustaf succeeded to the throne as King of Sweden, he has basically been leading the Swedish army in the north and south, opening up a large territory for Sweden.
land.
If it were in the original history, it can be said that he was a troublemaker in northern Europe, triggering wars everywhere, fighting against the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, against Denmark, against Tsarist Russia, etc.
In this dimension, due to the influence of the butterfly effect, he had only succeeded to the throne not long ago, and he had not yet had time to show his role as a troublemaker. However, the name of the King of Sweden and the surname of Gustav made him
He has a strong say in the coalition forces.
John III Sobieski of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth had not yet become king at this time, and his military commanding talents had not been fully demonstrated. Because the Battle of Vienna was gone, he was not praised by the Pope as a "Christian
"Savior", who was called the "Lion of Lichstan" by the Ottomans.
However, no matter what, his military command skills have begun to show.
As for the last Kara Mustafa Pasha, he was the son-in-law of the powerful prime minister of the Ottoman Empire. If the original historical development were to follow, he would take over as the next prime minister of the Ottoman Empire and lead the troops in the Battle of Vienna.
He was able to have his original status in history and become the son-in-law of the powerful prime minister of the Ottoman Empire, of course, not because of his handsomeness, but because of his talent.
No matter how these people were originally in history, in this dimension, they came together because of the common enemy, the Ming Empire.
Needless to say, of course they would send spies to spy on the Ming Dynasty Expeditionary Force. However, because the Ming Dynasty Expeditionary Army implemented the policy of converting the land back to the countryside, the people at the bottom lived a much better life than before after surrendering to the Ming Dynasty. Ten
If the spies go there, only one or two will probably be able to escape.
Therefore, the information that can be spied on is extremely limited.
What the Allies knew about the situation, they probably only knew that in the Volga River Basin, due to the addition of the Cossacks, the Ming army probably had about 100,000 cavalry, and they basically relied on firearms and equipment.
The Ming army mainly focused on the Ukrainian region and the Volga River Basin as its main areas of activity, mainly protecting the farmland reclaimed there.
As for the more specific details, they don't know.
In response to these messages, the coalition forces discussed and finally reached the following consensus.
There is no doubt that the Ming Army's firearms are powerful. Even if they have begun to imitate the Ming Army's rifled flintlock guns, as long as they have some brains, they will definitely have a clear understanding. It is absolutely impossible to be more powerful than the Ming Army's firearms, and In terms of quantity, it is impossible to be larger than the Ming army.
The Ming Army's 100,000 cavalry is a huge and scary force for any country. However, if it is a coalition, the 100,000 cavalry is nothing.
Not to mention the various countries working together, even the Crimean Khanate, which was destroyed by the Ming army before, could have thirty to fifty thousand cavalry that fled into the Ottoman Empire. Generally speaking, it would be enough to get a hundred and fifty thousand. OK.
Moreover, there is an infantry army, which can assemble more than 200,000 people. In other words, the total infantry and cavalry armies can reach about 350,000 people.
Of course, such a huge military strength requires unimaginable grain and grass supplies. But fortunately, such a huge amount of grain and grass supplies is not provided by just one family, but is divided according to the distance of the battlefield.
Those who are closer to the Ming army will have to bear a larger share of grain and grass supplies. This is not only because they are the most threatened by the Ming army, but also because they are close countries that provide grain and grass, and the consumption of grain and grass transportation on the road will increase. a lot less.
If they want to defeat the Ming army in Eastern Europe, the biggest advantage of the coalition is their large number of troops; while the Ming army's advantage is sharp firearms.
Therefore, the Allied Forces Command formulated operational principles based on the actual situation, which was to choose weather that was not conducive to the use of firearms to launch an attack on the Ming army.
The weather that is not conducive to the performance of firearms is either raining, which is ideal, or snowing.
However, in the territory occupied by the Ming army, especially the Volga River Basin, the temperature in summer is quite suitable, but it is mostly the dry season and there is very little rain. It is somewhat difficult to seize the opportunity when it rains.
If it is winter, it will also affect the performance of firearms. At least when loading, the speed will definitely be reduced. However, it will also be very inconvenient for the coalition forces, especially under the severe cold weather. It is estimated that there will be many large armies gathered together. People froze to death on the road.
After final discussion, the Allied Forces Headquarters decided to reduce the number of infantry troops. Instead of using a mixed bag of troops, they would be as elite as possible, and the supply of supplies would be more sufficient.
Based on this countermeasure, the Ottoman Empire brokered a deal and lent firearms from the Northern Front to the coalition forces on the Southern Front to enhance the strength of the Southern Front and completely defeat the Ming expeditionary force that came from afar.
This idea has been supported by the Pope and others, and relevant guarantees have been made. Because the Middle East has no chance to weaken the power of firearms, it can only be suppressed by quantity.
In the end, due to the strong pressure of the Ming Empire, the whole of Europe was united like never before. Whether it was feuding or religious hostility, they all put aside their competition with each other. An unprecedented war, divided into two parts, the north and the south, was about to begin.