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Chapter 1118: The Army Marches South
Tabar Pasha put away one finger and pointed the other to the east. This was not the first time this topic had been raised. Ever since Banda Zia was captured, whether to send troops eastward had become one of the issues that every Sultan had to consider.

Unfortunately, due to various reasons, even if the Sultan wanted to start a war, he did not have the strength to do so. The Ottoman merchants had already passed on information about the Ming Empire's naval warships and how powerful they were. If they could not defeat the Portuguese, Dutch, and British, the Ottoman Empire's navy would be even more unable to do so.

"Let me think about it..."

The Grand Vizier's speculation made Murad IV fall into deep thought. The Venetians were not scary. It was not like they had never fought against each other before. The two sides had been fighting back and forth in the Mediterranean for hundreds of years, with both sides winning and losing, and the Ottoman Navy was not at all inferior.

Moreover, the Venetians relied on mercenaries to fight, and their maritime strength was obviously stronger than their land strength. They were good enough to protect the Mediterranean shipping routes, but not enough to intervene in the inland areas, let alone penetrate the Red Sea side.

That leaves the only suspect, the Ming Empire! Murad IV has never ignored this Eastern behemoth. It is impossible to ignore it, as more and more goods from the East are pouring in with merchants from various countries.

Sugar, cocoa tea, gas lamps, glassware, and fine cotton cloth are the most high-end daily necessities on the market. In recent years, sugarcane wine and cigars have also appeared. Although smoking and drinking are strictly prohibited in Islamic law, some people abide by it openly but violate it secretly, especially the rich and nobles.

Using harsh laws and punishments to ban alcohol and tobacco can only limit the spread of alcohol and tobacco among the common people, but it cannot control the rich and nobles, and that is not the purpose. Preventing the influence of the Ming Empire from spreading is the top priority.

As for how the two countries should get along, this is destined to be an unanswerable question. The Ottoman Empire is the leader of the Muslim world, and the Ming Empire is a pagan country. There is no basis for peaceful coexistence between the two sides.

I just didn't expect the confrontation to come so quickly and be so difficult. Neither I nor the empire was mentally prepared. But the Grand Vizier was right. Apart from the Ming Empire, no other country in the world dared to look down on the Ottoman Empire.

It was too despicable. Even the Holy Roman Empire and Persia, which had been fighting for hundreds of years, could not do such a despicable thing. Undeclared war, sneaking around, and sowing discord were despised by the world!

“Take 5000 Guards and 10000 Sipahi cavalry and go to Suez in person. Not only must you take back Suez, but you must also clean up the Mamluk Beys who are not obedient and let them know the price of betrayal!
If Husayn Pasha is still alive, bring him back with you. He is too much of a disappointment to me to continue to be the Pasha of Egypt. I will stay in Tabriz for a few days and wait for your good news.

But then again, the stab in the back was quite accurate, hitting him right in the waist, leaving him in a dilemma. In the end, Murad IV still felt that the Ming Empire was more threatening than the Persians, and he had to first identify the possible hidden dangers and then completely eliminate them.

However, the temptation of Baghdad is not small. It is too frustrating to give up the siege completely, so a compromise must be made. First lead the army to Tabriz, and by the way, intimidate the Azerbaijanis who have always been restless. After the Grand Vizier solves the rebellion in Suez, if there is still time, it will not be too late to strike back.

But Murad IV, including Grand Vizier Tabar, oversimplified the problem, or were not familiar with the character of their opponents.

What they were about to face was a group of wolves that planned and decided, never gave up until they achieved their goal, and possessed advanced technology and strength. What was even more terrifying was that the wolf pack had a cunning and cunning leader. Just as Tabar Pasha led his army to Damascus, he heard bad news again: another important port city on the Red Sea, Tours, was captured by the Bedouins.

The defeated soldiers who escaped from there entered Damascus a few days ago to ask for help. The Bey there was gathering troops, but not to rescue Tours, but to protect himself.

Damascus is only 600 kilometers away from the port of Tours, with a flat and wide trade route along the way, and dense towns for obtaining supplies. With the mobility of the Bedouin cavalry, it would take two days to reach Aqaba, another two days to reach Amman, and then directly to Damascus.

Since the heavily guarded port of Tours was captured by the Bedouins, cities like Aqaba and Amman would certainly not be able to stop them. Damascus must make all preparations to defend it, and then send someone to inform the Sultan and wait for reinforcements to come.

Now, even the messenger was saved. The Grand Vizier personally led the reinforcements to arrive, including not only the Sipahi cavalry, but also 5,000 guards. No matter how brave and good the Bedouins were, everything would return to the original state in front of the muskets of the guards. The rebellion in Tours and Suez could only be short-lived.

In addition to the fall of Tours, news about the city of Suez also reached Damascus along with the defeated army and caravans. The leader of the rebels in Suez was Piyali Bey, who publicly declared his independence from the Ottoman Empire and entered a state of autonomy after completely occupying the city.

"Autonomy? God, this is the most ignorant joke I have ever heard! After the Guards and Sipahi cavalry rush into the city, those traitors who collude with infidels will be hanged. Please prepare food, fodder and camels. I will set off tomorrow!"

When Tabar heard the news from the Bey of Damascus, he almost laughed out loud. Too arrogant. If the Sultan had not mobilized his army to the south to besiege Baghdad, the distance would have allowed the Piyali Bey and the Bedouins to have more freedom. As long as the conditions proposed were not too excessive, they might be forgiven.

But now it is completely impossible. No matter whether the Piyali and Bedouins put forward any conditions or not, they will be ruthlessly exterminated and their bodies will be hung on both sides of the city gate as a warning to other Mamluk nobles.

If the Ming Empire was behind the Piyali Bey and the Bedouins, this could be regarded as a practical response, allowing them to eliminate their unrealistic ideas as soon as possible. The Ottoman Empire could provide a safe trade route, but it had to be under the control of the Sultan and imperial officials.

The troops were approaching, and 15,000 regular troops of the empire, led by the Grand Vizier of the empire, marched southward in a mighty force. Without any intelligence gathering, the news spread like wildfire and soon reached the city of Suez.

If it were any other time, the nobles in the city would have fled immediately, no matter who they supported, they would not risk their lives in the flames of war. The richer people would also flee the city, taking their guards and treasures with them.

Eventually, only the army and the poor people were left in the city. They had nowhere to go and had to face the danger regardless of whether they wanted to or not. The defenders would drag the people to defend the city together, while the attackers would kill without distinction. Regardless of winning or losing, the most unlucky ones were always those who could not escape and had nowhere to escape.

(End of this chapter)