NovelsAlex Chapter 1141 Daoyan's Strategy
Chapter 1141 Daoyan's Strategy
Chapter 1141 Daoyan's Strategy
In this battle, more than one hundred Ming soldiers were killed and more than two hundred were injured. The more than eight hundred elite Ming soldiers were reduced to five hundred. Most of these casualties occurred when the Crusaders counterattacked the city wall at all costs. Such losses made Zhu Di feel very painful.
But the results of the battle were undoubtedly fruitful. In this battle, the Ming army not only removed the Beldraig Castle, which was an obstacle on the westward expedition route, and gained the upper hand on the Danube front, but also almost completely seized the food and grass stored by the Crusaders in Beldraig Castle. While alleviating the Ming army's supply crisis, it also made the Crusaders unable to resist the offensive of the Ming army's westward expedition for a period of time.
After all, even if they could gather their troops again, they would not be able to allocate enough food and fodder in a short period of time.
At the same time, these hundreds of Ming troops killed the famous King Sigismund. You know, Sigismund was the King of Hungary, one of the initiators and biggest supporters of the Crusades. It was he who sent envoys to France and persuaded the French knights to launch the last Crusade.
This battle would certainly make the Ming army famous, and it would also open up a way for the Ming army to continue its advance: continuing westward would be the territory of Hungary, and the Ming army that killed the Hungarian king would surely terrify the Hungarian defenders who had lost their king.
Not to mention, the Ming army also captured so many Crusader prisoners... Although these prisoners could not replenish the Ming army's manpower, these excellent labor forces could be used to dredge roads, or to build Ming army colonies, or even to be transported to the rear for reclamation.
The weapons and armor stripped from these captives can also be used to recruit new soldiers. Now, many people in the Ottoman region and the three major sultanate regions are eager to join the Western Expedition...either for revenge or to seize the opportunity to seize honor.
The Ming Dynasty's westward expedition has become a stepping stone for many Ottomans and Central Asians to advance. Countless people want to join this massive westward expedition and change their future destiny by standing with the Ming Dynasty.
On the top floor of the spire in the center of the castle, Yao Guangxiao saw Zhu Di, who was bandaging his wounds. Zhu Di was sitting on the seat that originally belonged to John, and two personal guards of the Prince of Yan were changing the bandages for this brave and fearless prince.
Zhu Di had dozens of wounds on his body. The wounds that had been hastily bandaged before burst open again in the subsequent fight, making the replaced bandages look like they had been fished out of blood.
"Well, old monk, you are here? Sit down." Zhu Di seemed calm and collected. He just glanced at Yao Guangxiao and continued to look out the window, gazing at the western sky.
Looking at the blood-stained bandages on the ground, Yao Guangxiao frowned slightly, sat down on the seat beside Zhu Di, and said, "Your Highness, you should pay more attention to your own safety."
"You must know that the great cause of the Western Expedition depends on Your Highness. If anything happens to Your Highness, the great cause will be overturned in an instant."
"Your Highness must never take risks like this again!"
Zhu Di waved his hand and said with a nonchalant smile: "You can't get a tiger cub without risking it. Since you have lofty ambitions, there is no reason to care about your own safety."
"Old monk, please relax. I am the heir of the great fortune of the Ming Dynasty. It is impossible for me to be a short-lived ghost."
Yao Guangxiao smiled bitterly and shook his head, not trying to persuade him any further. He then said, "Thanks to your majesty's might, the Western Yi army has now been defeated by a surprise attack, and the morale of the army must be shaken. Our army can strike while the iron is hot."
"In my opinion, we should take advantage of the victory and continue to advance westward with the troops of the Ottoman Empire and other countries. After crossing Hungary, we will reach the Great Qin Kingdom."
"The so-called Crusades all rely on the Western Barbarian Pope in the Great Qin Kingdom and the Western Barbarian Pope in France to lead them. Defeating the Pope of the Great Qin Kingdom is like cutting off one leg of the Western Barbarians."
"Without these two popes to unify the situation, the Western Barbarians will be in disarray and there is no need to worry about them."
The "Great Qin" mentioned by Yao Guangxiao is the Holy Roman Empire in Western Europe at that time. Let's not talk about whether the Holy Roman Empire is Rome. Just say that with the current structure of the Holy Roman Empire, this huge empire is also a mess at this time and there is no need to worry about it.
The Holy Roman Emperor at this time was Sigismund's elder brother, Wenceslas IV.
This was a foolish monarch, and the Holy Roman Empire at that time was a scattered empire led by a foolish monarch. But in name, the Holy Roman Empire was still the most powerful country in Europe.
As long as the Pope is defeated, the fragmented Holy Roman Empire will surely collapse. If the Holy Roman Empire is defeated, the entire Western world can be said to have succumbed to the iron hoof of the Ming Dynasty.
"Yes." Zhu Di nodded, affirming Yao Guangxiao's suggestion. "It is time to forge ahead. However, old monk."
"You should know that China has no roots in this land of the Western Barbarians. It is easy to attack the Western Barbarians, but it is difficult to govern them."
"We have just arrived here, and our food supply has been blocked. If we continue our westward expedition, I think there will be more problems."
"Old monk, you need to put more effort into this matter and come up with a proper way to govern it. Don't let this territory that we conquered with great difficulty become a useless thing that is neither worth eating nor worth throwing away."
"It is my duty." Yao Guangxiao gently twisted his Buddhist beads and bowed to Zhu Di. Then he said, "I have a thought in my mind."
"I heard that the ruler of the Great Qin was chosen from among the nobles of various countries. If we can attack the Church of the Great Qin with the force of thunder and lightning, and force many nobles of the Great Qin to become vassals of the Great Ming, the ruler of the Great Qin must also be canonized by the Emperor of the Great Ming."
"In order to compete for the power of the ruler, the nobles of the Great Qin must wholeheartedly serve the Great Ming court and promote our Chinese culture in the future."
"In this way, our Ming Dynasty can rely on the influence of this country to indirectly control Europe. In the future, our Chinese culture will spread to Western countries, and then we can find opportunities to incorporate these countries into our Chinese territory."
"Of course, it is also necessary to establish colonies here. Colonies can seize the resources and wealth of this place, and can also spread our Chinese culture. With colonies as carriers, after a few generations, our Chinese population in this continent will inevitably increase greatly. Having enough people to identify with our Chinese culture is a prerequisite for incorporating this place into our Chinese territory."
Zhu Di thought for a while, nodded, and said: "This method is very good. It can not only temporarily pacify and govern the Western Yi countries that we have conquered, but also lay a solid foundation for our Chinese descendants for future generations."
"And if we can make the Great Qin Kingdom lean towards our Great Ming, then our Great Ming's many colonies here will naturally be protected."
"But... there are two churches in the Western Yi. Even if I destroy the church in the Great Qin, there is still another church in France, which is further west."
"We need to destroy these two churches at the same time before we can feel at ease."
(End of this chapter)