When winter comes, France breathes a sigh of relief. The Mediterranean region of this season is obviously not suitable for combat. Warm and rainy winters are really a fatal thing for marching and fighting. As for the sea facing the Atlantic Ocean, winter comes even more reassuring. It is always foggy and windy and storm. There are few people attacking from the sea in this season.

The Ming army stationed in Spain is now the most realistic threat to France. Fortunately, with the natural danger of the Pyrenees, the French army seized the main mountain pass, and would definitely give a head-on blow to the enemy that might be invaded.

Of course, this is the statement inside France. In fact, the French military scoffed at this view. Even if there is a natural danger in the Pyrenees, what if it is natural? Without a strong navy and solid coastal defense, as for the French terrain, wherever they land, the French army can only passively fight. As for climate, this thing has never been the key to determining the outcome of a war. (The Russians and Napoleon said they could not agree.)

Confucius' defeat in Spain hit the French army too much. With an absolute advantage in military strength, the Ming army was just a counterattack, and the entire coalition collapsed. There are many experiences worth summarizing. It is certain that the equipment and tactics of the Ming army exceeded this era in all respects. Especially the quality of its army is not comparable to that of the most powerful army in Europe in this era.

This pessimism naturally came into Louis XIV's ears. The ruler was very distressed about this. He asked Pierre several times to seek the possibility of peace talks. Pierre told Louis XIV that other countries might have the possibility of discussion. The French Empire was very difficult. This was the price of betrayal. When Pierre persuaded him repeatedly, Louis XIV did not listen. He insisted on challenging the Ming Dynasty. He even thought that the combat effectiveness of the French army had already caught up with the Ming Dynasty. Now it seems that it is a joke.

The famous French general Tirena was recruited into the palace and asked about the direction of the war. Faced with the emperor's questioning, Tirena could only express bitterly that he would try to negotiate with the Ming Dynasty. Even if it was a good time to get more one day, if the war was inevitable. The only chance to win was to launch the most violent attack when the enemy landed. But this tactic is difficult to implement now because it is not known where the enemy will land. Considering the actual situation of the French army, the safe way is to concentrate a heavy army group. In a suitable position, wait for the Ming army to land. Then carry out a decisive battle on the ground, and laying it everywhere means being unprepared. The reason for this is very simple. The Ming army is too powerful and has little force and no effect.

Based on the current situation of war, Tirena advocated that the main force gathered in central France, and the direction of the Pyrenees did not require too much force. Because of the terrain, the Ming army could not send a large army to attack that direction, because there must be problems with logistics supply. After all, it is not the era of cold weapons. The Ming army's current combat has obvious characteristics and is very dependent on logistics. This point can be understood after the Ming army landed in Spain. They spent a long time preparing for war. Tirena also pointed out that this tactic of careful preparation in front of the station. If it is not moving, it is already there, and if it is moving, it is thunder and one strike. It fully reflects the combat thoughts of the Ming army. It also pointed out that after the observation of intelligence personnel, it was found that the military discipline and soldier quality of the Ming army were far higher than that of any European country today. They may not be as strong as European soldiers, but their organizational discipline is top-notch.

There is no doubt that this is the result of long-term persistence in training, or so, Ming Jun's is more professional.

Tirena said this with evidence. The equipment used by France now is all purchased by the Ming Dynasty and copied guns and cannons. Even the infantry warriors came from the Ming Dynasty. Of course, the way this infantry warriors came from the Ming Dynasty. In short, the French army could only rely on the advanced equipment of the Ming Dynasty and the tactical warriors. Linear queues, queuing and shooting tactics, concentrated use of cannons, etc., were all the things that the Ming army played, and the French army learned it.

These learnings were achieved through various relationships during the friendship period. At that time, the Ming Dynasty was not so strict in France. Even the rifled Minnie rifle was bought back. If it weren't for the rifle because of the poor quality of the steel, it would be difficult to meet the requirements. The French army even had to equip Minnie rifles on a large scale. (If the steel does not meet the requirements, the rifle will be scrapped if it hits dozens of times)

Louis XIV adopted Tirena's suggestion and gathered a heavy army group of up to 300,000 troops. At the same time, setting up posts in areas where landings are easy to land in the coastal areas, preparing manpower, and transmitting information in a timely manner. The problem is that he handed over these things to the Duke of Anjou. Tactically, due to the French terrain, it is difficult to do it in a solid state. Because I really don't know when the enemy will land, I can only wait patiently.

Just as the French army was waiting helplessly, something that the Ottoman Turkish Empire did not expect happened. The African Legion of the Ming Empire empire started a landing battle, with the target of the important city of Istanbul.

Due to the terrain, the Ming army had no intention of hiding in front of the battle this time. The fleet appeared in a swagger near the Dardanelles, and a sampan on the sea surface all sank. Three days later, a fleet of ships covering the sky and sun appeared on the sea surface, with a total of three infantry divisions, and landing operations under the cover of naval warships.

Why don’t you choose to go to land? The reason is very simple, and the problem of logistics supply cannot be solved. It’s not that the Ming Dynasty cannot produce it, but how do you transport it on land? It’s impossible to put it on the Mediterranean without using it. This is the same as when it was on the Ming and Qing dynasties, it was like when it was on the canal transport without using it. Speaking of canal transport, let’s say, it’s not that you don’t know that the sea transport is good, but that the canal transport is too much involved. The interest relationship is too complicated, so I won’t say much here.

The landing location of the Ming army was chosen in Chanakaré, which faced the Mediterranean Sea, and there was a port in itself. The landing process was extremely smooth. The Ottoman Turkish army resisted tenaciously, but under the bombardment of naval guns, the resistance lasted for only one day and collapsed. After the landing, the Ming army advanced along the strait and completely controlled the Dardanelles. After the cruiser crossed the strait and entered the Marmara Sea, the enemy ships and fleets entrenched here suffered a catastrophe and sank without surrendering. However, in this sea area, the navy unexpectedly did not capture a larger ship. Although the Turks were behind in equipment and the warships were garbage, theirs were fighting. A week later, the landing Ming army defeated 30,000 Turkish troops in Banderma and cleared the obstacles to moving forward.

With a cigarette in his mouth, Zhang Guangde squinted his eyes, stood on the deck of the warship, pointing to the city on the coast, saying, "See, Istanbul, Europeans prefer to call it Constantinople. It was once a military center of the Eastern Roman Empire. There have been many fierce battles in this city in history. During the Crusades, every corner of the city was soaked in blood."

Chen Ping did not speak, but looked at the city silently. The geographical location of this city is so important. No wonder his father's instructions to the African Legion were very clear, and it was occupied for a long time. This sea area was clearly pointed out in the geography book published by the Ming Dynasty, the Golden Waterway!

Now, this is the capital of the Ottoman Turkish Empire. After occupying this place, even if the two countries have formed a mortal hatred, Chen Ping didn't mind, Zhang Guangde didn't mind, and no one seemed to mind the so-called great empire spanning Eurasia. The current Ming Dynasty's thinking is that good places should be taken. It's a weird logic, but everyone thinks it should be like this.

The warship trembled violently, and even covering its ears on the deck could not withstand the loud roar. The Ming army was very confident in its purpose of combat, and the Turkish army's defense was also very clear. It was to stick to this city and let the enemy's blood flow dry.

"I heard that the African Legion issued an order and the military police would not appear within three days after the city was broken." Chen Ping said calmly, but Zhang Guangde nodded very heavily: "Yes, it's cruel! But this is also unreasonable. In order to defend this city, the Turkish army gathered at least 300,000 people. Our cavalry and infantry combined, which is 150,000 people. With so many troops, the logistics supply can only be solved on the spot."

The artillery fire turned the landed beach into a sea of ​​fire, and all military targets along the coast were baptized by artillery fire. For this battle, the Ming army invested sixteen new cruisers, fifty old sailing warships, and thousands of transport ships. More than half of them were recently stolen from various ports in the Mediterranean region.

"I don't know what the French would feel when we landed in the Balkans?" Zhang Guangde was a little depressed. He originally hoped to fight France first, but after careful planning in front of the station, he decided to fight Istanbul first. After occupying this place, it was not too late to force the Ottoman Türkiye to surrender and deal with France next year.

In short, this war will last at least two years. At that time, the entire Europe will bow down in front of the Ming Dynasty's bayonet, and the Ming Dynasty will usher in its most glorious period.

The landing boat landed on the dock, the artillery fire stopped, and the assault soldiers ran to the shore with their equipment on their backs. Boom, the sporadic artillery fire sounded, and the Ottoman Turkish army was still fighting. Unfortunately, the weapons of these troops were too backward, and the remaining cannons were quickly knocked off by the sail fleet that was being fired with cannons.

After landing, the troops immediately expanded to the surrounding area and established a stable busy area. One piece of prefabricated pieces were thrown off on the transport ships on the sea, and a simple trestle was formed in the skillful busyness of the engineers. So many troops, the ammunition consumed alone was an amazing number. It would definitely not work without a dock.
Chapter completed!