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Chapter 1120 Just a Prelude
With enough artillery to defend the city and the help of mercenaries familiar with artillery, the defense of Suez City is indeed stronger than ever. However, the general who came is a famous general of the empire, and he brought so many regular troops with him, so the final victory or failure is still unknown.

If they were defeated and the city was captured, with not a single soldier left alive, a group of people could escape on a sailboat and the Bedouins could escape into the desert, but he and many Mamluk nobles would have nowhere to go. Their lives were at stake, so they had to find out clearly.

"Piyali Bey, please be at ease. War is inevitable. Peace without war is like a business without bargaining. It is absolutely unreal. But we are likely to be the winner of this war, and in the end both sides will resolve their differences in a business way.

In case of any accident, you and your family, as well as several other beys and their families, can board the sailboat and follow me to Colombo to continue your life.

Relying on the goods and trade routes of the Ming Empire, you can make back your losses in a few years. And this is only the worst case scenario, with a probability of less than half. It is more likely that Piyali Bey will reach a peace agreement with the Ottoman Sultan and become the legal lord of Suez.

Look at these large sailing ships. They are only a small part. As long as the trade route to the Mediterranean can be opened, there will be more sailing ships loaded with full cargoes docking here day and night.

You don't have to be too careful, a quick calculation will give you a rough idea of ​​how much tax you and your family will be able to collect from the goods as the legal lord of the city.

You and I are both businessmen, and we should understand that the opportunity to get ten or a hundred times the return from an investment is rare and will never come back. If there is no risk at all, how can it be considered a business? "

Wang Datou knew who Tabar Ibrahim Pasha was without Piyali's introduction, and even more. This Grand Vizier was indeed extraordinary, with considerable achievements in military and government affairs, and was definitely the right-hand man of Murad IV.

But there has never been anyone in this world who can be compared with His Majesty the Emperor. Once you become a target of calculation, no one can ever escape, let alone turn the tables.

Even if this operation failed completely and Suez City was not defended, it would not be the end of the world. In the words of the emperor, if an operation was launched on the enemy's land, as long as there were not too many casualties, the worst result would be a draw.

Because the cities destroyed, the residents killed, and the confidence destroyed by the war were all borne by the other side. The Ming Empire only paid a little bit of supplies and military expenses, and it could come back again when it had the chance.

But it is not so easy to rebuild the local construction and people's confidence. After repeated attempts, cracks will inevitably appear and then collapse. Mamluk nobles such as Piyali are one of the weapons. Even if they fail, they cannot be abandoned. They are still very useful.

"Is the Emperor of the Ming Empire just trying to sell goods to the Mediterranean?"

Piyali had to believe in the prospect described by Pianjiabuliu, but he didn't dare to believe it completely. The Mamluk nobles who cooperated with him had been trying to figure out the origin of this man and the intentions of the Ming Empire behind him, but they still couldn't find a reasonable answer.

If you want to connect the Red Sea and the Mediterranean trade route, you can't avoid the Ottoman Empire, but there is no need to go to such great lengths and mobilize troops. The two countries can sit down and negotiate, and the final result should not be much worse than the current one. Since the benefits can be obtained through peaceful means, why must it be resolved through war? "Of course not all... The Ottoman Empire is too big and its location is too critical. There is a proverb among the Chinese in the East that there can't be two tigers in one mountain. If you know that the two empires will collide sooner or later, why don't you find an opportunity to weaken the other side in advance?
The Ming Empire hoped that Egypt would be free from Ottoman control, and not just Egypt, but also Baghdad, Damascus, and Lebanon, which should also be returned to the Arabs. Without the two tigers, war would be meaningless, and peace would come, isn't that right?"

At this point, Wang Datou is like a wolf in the house, no longer deliberately hiding his true face, and starting to show his true colors. These words are not considered a leak. It is sometimes beneficial and necessary to let partners know part of the intention, so that they can understand how to regulate their behavior in the future and avoid trouble.

"... Padishah will definitely not agree to it!" It was the first time that Piyali heard of such a huge layout. The scene of two great empires conquering each other suddenly emerged in his mind, and he felt uneasy.

This man who was left with no one to defend him and the Emperor of the Ming Empire behind him seemed to have oversimplified the matter. The Ottoman Empire was not made of clay, and faced with a life-and-death situation, it would inevitably launch an all-out attack and fight to the death.

"Even if he agrees, we won't believe it. Didn't I just say that peace without war is unreal? Some people can talk, and some people must fight. This is fate.

The Ottoman Sultan was unlucky as he happened to be standing in the way of the Ming Empire. He was also so huge that even if he took the initiative to avoid it, who could guarantee that he would not suddenly attack?

Suez and Tours are just the prelude, and then there will be Baghdad and Persia. For many years to come, the Ottoman Empire will be surrounded by enemies on all sides, and no matter how many troops it has, it will not be enough. When the treasury is empty and the people are tired of fighting, it will become history. "

Wang Datou smiled at Piyali's worries. His vision was too short-sighted, he only saw the tip of his toes. Look up, Asia... No, it's West Asia that's going to change.

As long as Murad IV sent his troops to rescue Suez and failed to capture Baghdad in time, he would fall into a trap, a chain of traps, one link after another, with no chance to breathe.

In the future, there will be no more opportunities to besiege Baghdad with superior forces, let alone to get involved in the Mesopotamian region. It won't take long, just three or four months, and tens of thousands of Persian musketeers who have completed training and have preliminary combat capabilities will arrive in the Baghdad area one after another, relying on Baghdad for defense.

In another three or four months, tens of thousands of Persian musketeers will be added. By then, it will no longer be a defense, but a strategic counterattack. From Baghdad, attack Damascus and Beirut to the west, and completely cut off the north-south land connection of the Ottoman Empire.

Then you don't have to do it yourself, just maintain the status quo and wait. It won't be long before a wave of independence will surge in the lands occupied by the Ottomans in northern Africa and the Mediterranean coast, and the huge empire will collapse in an instant, leaving only the territory near Istanbul under control.

Then the Emperor said he was unsure, but was inclined to retain the Ottoman Empire as a pawn to contain the growth of the Persians. Yes, after the Ottoman Empire was resolved, the problems in West Asia did not disappear, but became more numerous and complicated.

(End of this chapter)