unclear

Chapter 1048 The Last Piece of the Puzzle 4
"Okay, I will sleep less today and tell you why we are in such a hurry to join the game. From the materials you brought, not only is the Ottoman Empire fighting on both the north and south fronts, but Persia is also fighting on the east and west fronts, and its other enemy is the Bukhara Khanate.

Over the years, the Bukhara Khanate made a lot of money through trade routes, and certainly smuggled a lot of farm tools from the Yarkand Kingdom. Those hoes and plowshares were all made of steel, and they could be melted back to make weapons.

Let's look at the location of the Bukhara Khanate. To the north is the Kazakh Khanate, which is in a similar situation and cannot be attacked. To the east is the Yarkand Khanate, which dares not be attacked. To the south is the Mughal Empire, which is also difficult to attack. Looking around, the easiest direction of expansion is to the west, to attack the Persian territory.

Shadi Khoja once said that there was a faction in the Bukhara Khanate that was deeply influenced by the Ottomans, and that the main people in the Khanate were Sunnis, but the Persians mainly believed in Shiites.

Do not underestimate religious factions. Most conflicts are caused by interests, but different factions often cause hostility, and they attack each other without any reason. A slogan can last for decades.

The current wars among Europeans are caused by differences in religious sects. Although the fighting is no longer entirely for doctrine, everyone has to talk about it and shout it out all the time.

Without the shackles of the north, the Ottoman Empire could devote itself to the war with Persia. Would the Bukhara Khanate in the east also take advantage of the opportunity to take a bite? Persia was already at a disadvantage. If it was attacked from both sides, it might collapse.

I do not intend to let the imperial soldiers fight on the battlefield for their benefit, but to take a more covert approach, such as providing weapons and food. At most, I will send some officers to help them train an army that can skillfully use muskets and artillery.

Therefore, we must enter the battlefield before the Persians suffer too much loss. Otherwise, the cost of these equipment and personnel will have to be paid by the empire, and it is not certain that Persia will be able to revive. It is hard to say whether it will make a profit or a loss in the end. "

With such a smart and studious student, Hong Tao was embarrassed to just walk away, so he decided to give him a class in the Yangxin Palace. However, more than half of what he said in this class was made up, with few truths and even less substance.

Why did he lie to Wang Datou? Hong Tao didn't want to, but the question he asked was too difficult to answer. He didn't draw the conclusion from the existing data, but from the memory in his mind. Osman would not go to Europe to fight again in the short term.

It was not until the end of the 17th century that the Ottoman army was defeated at the gates of Vienna. But I really couldn't tell Wang Datou that, so I could only make up a lie.

Moreover, he did not want to wait for decades in vain. While the Europeans were still in the civil war and had no time to look east, it was a good time to deal with the Ottoman obstacle.

If the Europeans have time to spare, they may make peace with their mortal enemy the Ottoman Empire in order to gain benefits in Asia, and then join forces to fight the Ming Empire. By then, there will be no way to hide, and the only thing to do is to send troops to fight. No matter how you look at it, it is not worthwhile to encourage others to fight with small favors.

"...I have neglected the role of religious sects... But what does His Majesty intend to use the Persians to buy weapons and equipment? As far as I know, they are not very rich. I am afraid they cannot afford too much gold and silver, and they do not have the minerals needed by the empire to offset them."

Wang Datou nodded as he listened to the emperor's reasons. As long as the lies were convincing and had a status bonus, even smart people would be fooled. However, he found a loophole in his rhetoric. He thought it was a bit wishful thinking to expect the Persians to use real money to buy the muskets and artillery produced in the empire.

"Oil. There is a lot of oil on the land of the Persians, which can be used to offset the aid from the empire. I will give you another task. Find out about a group called Kurds in Persia, and it would be best if you can contact their leader." Hong Tao blurted out without thinking. Assisting Persia to fight against the Ottomans was not only to ensure the smooth flow of trade routes, but also to pave the way for finding a foothold in the Middle East in the future.

At present, no one in the world pays attention to black oil, including the Persians, Ottomans and Arabs who occupy the world's largest oil fields. But in more than a century, this name will appear more and more frequently in front of the world.

Maybe we don't have to wait that long. With the participation of top scholars such as Galileo, Kepler, and Descartes, and the bits and pieces of memory in my head, I may be able to develop the internal combustion engine ahead of time.

By then, the Arabian Peninsula and the Iranian Plateau will no longer be barren lands, and will be closely watched by countries around the world. But they will find that the Ming Empire has been operating here for hundreds of years, with its roots deeply rooted in the soil and its branches and leaves reaching high into the sky, and its roots and leaves are lush and difficult to shake.

"Kurds... I have heard of Kurdistan, but I wonder if this place name is consistent with the ethnic group His Majesty is talking about?"

Wang Datou had some idea of ​​why black oil could be used to offset arms aid. The Ministry of Chemical Industry built an oil refinery in Shaanxi, which was refining various oils from oil day and night. Its main use was as raw materials for iron and steel plants and chemical plants. The remaining residue was a necessary plugging material for shipyards, called asphalt.

The ground of the Royal Academy's small playground is paved with asphalt mixed with gravel. It is neither soft nor hard, wear-resistant and non-slip, and very smooth. Although it is a bit sticky when exposed to the strong sun in the summer, it is much better than loess.

In addition, he seemed to be familiar with the name of Kurds. He mentioned a place name that was closely related to the Kurds, but he was not sure whether there was a real connection between the two.

"That was the former homeland of the Kurds, but it was later divided up by other countries. This administrative region does not exist in reality, but it is the homeland in the hearts of the Kurds. How did you know this name? Has the advisory office found a foothold in Persia?"

The Kurds lived in the border area between Persia and the Ottoman Empire, rarely traveled around the world, and were even less known in the 17th century. Wang Datou knew the name of Kurdistan, and it was obvious that he had extended his intelligence tentacles into Persia or the Ottoman Empire, but did not report it, which was a bit taboo.

"The Advisory Office has a quasi-intelligence agent in Kashgar who says his hometown is in Kurdistan. But the people of Yarkand around him don't know where this place is, and he can't read a map, which gives the local person in charge a headache.

According to the rules, people of unknown origin cannot become official intelligence agents. Even if they provide a lot of information about Persia, it can only be regarded as idle chat and they cannot receive any compensation.

Later, his statement was finally confirmed. It was accidentally revealed by two Bukhara merchants. They said that many soldiers in the Persian army fighting against the Bukhara Khanate in the southwest came from Kurdistan. But they still couldn't tell where exactly they were. No wonder it was so mysterious, it turned out that there was no such place at all. "

Wang Datou did not notice the murderous look that flashed across the emperor's eyes. He lowered his head and searched hard in the folder. Finally, he found a summary of two reports from his subordinates, which indeed recorded this conversation.

(End of this chapter)