eastern european eagle

Chapter 599 Plan
"Please listen to me, Your Excellency." Mason bowed slightly to show respect, but his tone was still firm: "Through the investigations over the past few years, we have found out that after the Arabs announced their intention to attack Jerusalem, they did not take any measures. The political situation there is still relatively chaotic, which will reduce the resistance to our attack.

In addition, the Empire has been resting for five years, with sufficient food and supplies, a full complement of troops, and has formed an alliance with Hungary, Russia, Brandenburg and England. Other countries dare not attack rashly. We have such a great strategic advantage, so we should seize this great opportunity and launch an attack on Mecca!"

"Arabs are not the Ottomans and Germany. They have many believers and vast lands. Even if their capabilities are insufficient, we are still like a wolf facing a cow compared to them. It is not an easy task to defeat such a place! Has the Ministry of Military Affairs formulated a more detailed offensive plan for this in recent years?!" Mason's question was more like an invitation to the Minister of War to make further explanations.

"Of course!" The Minister of Military Affairs took the opportunity to stand up and explained, "Your Majesty! Everyone! Our Military Affairs Department has been further exploring how to defeat Mecca in recent years. Through intelligence collection and multiple simulated battlefield simulations, the Military Affairs Department finally formulated a new offensive plan. Its general strategy is--"

He cleared his throat to make his pronunciation clearer: "Make full use of the current situation and send an army of about 30,000 people from Damascus to attack Baghdad in order to attract the attention of the northern countries.

Then, we will deploy another 15 troops to the canal area to cut off the Egyptian army's northward march. Meanwhile, our Eastern Fleet will harass Mecca's merchants from the sea. Finally, our troops will attack Mecca and Medina, thus ending the war.

"But this can only be applied to quick campaigns. The Arabs may not fight with our army, but choose to defend cities like Mecca." Batista reminded: "I heard that Mecca has unusually tall and strong walls, and there are many Christians guarding it. It is definitely not something that can be conquered in a short time. If the siege lasts too long, our military food and supplies will be tight, and the Arabs may also recover, causing the situation to change to our disadvantage."

"Your Excellency the Prime Minister is right. If Mecca adopts a defensive strategy, it will indeed cause us considerable trouble." After the euphemistic response, the Minister of Military Affairs changed the subject: "However, the trouble caused to Mecca is even greater. Because their land looks vast, but it is not like an empire that can effectively govern various regions. Its rule is not too solid. Many areas rely on local tribes to take care of themselves. Therefore, when tribes launched riots before, the Caliph failed to suppress them, resulting in his low prestige and the nobles and the people were not very convinced.

Once our army enters their core, the Meccan army will hide behind the high walls and watch us destroy the oasis, which will surely disappoint the local people in the Caliphate, which may lead to new rebellions and divisions. He can only win the trust of the nobles by gathering a large army to repel us, so I think a decisive battle is inevitable! "

After the rough outline of the plan drawn up by the Ministry of Military Affairs was finished, the hall was silent. The ministers looked at each other, silently communicating with their eyes, but no one spoke. It was Peter who spoke again: "Prime Minister, what do you think of the plan of the Ministry of Military Affairs?"

Seeing that he was called, Batista had to express his own opinion: "Your Majesty, the plan formulated by the Ministry of Military Affairs sounds reasonable. We have a great advantage over the Arabs. It seems that we will easily win if we implement it. However, using troops to fight a war itself means huge risks. Whether it is the transportation of military food or the communication of information, it will be more difficult than before. What's more, the attack is in a vast area. Whether it is for generals or soldiers, it is a completely unfamiliar land. The situation is complicated and accidents may happen at any time.

Moreover, Arabia is too far away from Constantinople. Perhaps by the time we receive the news and are discussing contingency plans, the army in Arabia will have encountered new difficulties or even suffered a defeat. Once they fail, they will face the danger of annihilation. Therefore, I think we should be cautious when sending troops to Mecca!
In addition, although the political situation in the empire is relatively stable now, there are still many crises. The Poles and Lithuanians in the north pose a threat to our territory, and Castile in the north of Iberia also harasses our southern territory from time to time. The heretics from the Apennines are also threatening our security..."

"There are still so many unsafe factors within the sphere of influence of the Empire. In other words, there are still so many lands near the Empire that we need to conquer in order to ensure the peace and tranquility of the Romanian people. We should focus on doing these first, and should not be tempted by the so-called holy war and seek far away.

Moreover, even if we defeat the Arab army, it will be difficult to conquer the people there and integrate them into the kingdom, because they are a completely different race from us, with a culture that is completely different from ours. They will not be willing to be ruled by us. Perhaps we need to invest huge manpower and material resources to maintain our rule there, but is it worth it? "

"Is it worth it?" Peter suddenly laughed and said to the prime minister: "I hope you will remember what you just said and concentrate on governing your homeland. Only then can the empire be stable and long-lasting!"

"But Romania is attacking Mecca not to covet its land, but to turn passivity into initiative, seize the favorable opportunity of its weakness, and completely defeat it. Then, depending on the situation, we can either support a few puppets in the area, or split it into multiple countries to reduce the threat to the empire's borders... These methods should be more effective and less labor-intensive than directly annexing land."

"As for the difficulties mentioned about attacking Mecca, there was no war in Romania that was without difficulties and accidents! It's just that the difficulties here are greater. Why can we win and defeat our opponents every time? It's because we attach great importance to every opponent, have careful planning and preparation, and therefore have more advantages.

Since Wallachia, we have been fighting against the pagans. The Ottomans, the Golden Horde, Venice, Genoa, Egypt, these are all countries that once bullied us. Now, they have either disappeared or surrendered. And now, the most stubborn fortress is right in front of us. It is Mecca and the rulers inside. They are the ones who caused all the consequences today.

(End of this chapter)