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Chapter 1176 Shia City
"Wrong, this is not the empire's overseas territory, and it cannot be operated like the Port of Thalín or the Port of Colombo. However, we must protect the interests of the empire here at the lowest cost, and achieve the effect of deterring the surrounding countries from making any rash moves.

It is not enough to rely on force and it is not enough to just use gentle means. It takes great wisdom to decide what to do. Write a work plan first. I will take some time to look at it and make up for the deficiencies before handing it over to the Navy General Staff so that they can see the real material. "

Hong Tao had come into contact with Settle very early. He had seen him since he was a child, but he did not pay much attention to him. It was not until he met him by chance when he boarded the ship in Weihai during the imperial expedition that he had a deeper understanding of him.

After a period of observation, I came to the conclusion that he was energetic, talented, and capable, much better than his brother. In particular, his rough-outward and delicate-inward character, after being polished and learning to hide, was very deceptive, and he could be trained as a senior official.

As long as he works hard, his luck is not too bad, and he doesn't make any big mistakes, the position of Commander-in-Chief is far from the ceiling, but a stepping stone to the position of Empire's Overseas Governor.

With the help of the local tyrants, the whereabouts of Ottoman Grand Vizier Tabar Pasha and his subordinates were also revealed. According to the Madan people, about a week ago, many troops rode camels and war horses through the edge of the swamp area, heading due west.

Unfortunately, none of the Sipahi cavalrymen were left alive. If we could get their confessions, the intelligence would be more complete. However, the leader of the Basra militia said that the nearest city was called Samawah, about 200 kilometers away. Apart from that, there was no place near the Euphrates River that could provide supplies for tens of thousands of troops.

His prediction was confirmed two days later. The further west they went, the more traces they found. Local tribes even offered war horses abandoned by the Sipahi cavalry.

They said that the Ottoman army passed through in a hurry, or in a mess, and carried very little baggage. These horses had to be abandoned because they had lost weight due to lack of fine feed. The only way to get enough supplies was in the city of Semawah.

However, no matter how hard they tried, the fleet sailing upstream in the inland river still failed to catch up with the camels that had set out a few days earlier. When Hong Tao led his army to the city of Samawah, the city lord had already led the nobles in the city to greet them, accusing Tabal Pasha of atrocities with tears and snot.

The Ottoman army stayed here for a day and a half. From the time they arrived to the time they left, they did one thing: looting! They looted food, camels, and horses, regardless of whether they were common people or nobles. They looted whoever had them, and also took away a lot of gold and silver.

Faced with the ferocious Guards Corps and Sipahi cavalry, the local provincial militia dared not even fart and could only watch the food stores in the city being emptied and the livestock being taken away.

Fortunately, Tabal Pasha left in a hurry and did not have time to search the surrounding villages carefully, otherwise this city of tens of thousands of people would have starved to death. Even so, the city lord still expressed his willingness to provide some of the food and ship slaves needed by the army.

"Do you know why people here are willing to tighten their belts and go hungry to meet our needs?"

Hong Tao rejected the city lord's kindness on the grounds that it was inconvenient to march, and only accepted 200 ship slaves. Then he called a group of middle and senior officers and staff to the flagship and asked them a question.

"They wanted to send us away quickly in fear of being robbed again!"

"Seeing the decline of the Ottoman army, I knew I was no match for them!"

"We passed many towns and villages along the way. Some were looted, but some were intact. There must be a reason. It's just that I am stupid and can't think of a reason. Please teach me, Your Majesty!" The officers said all kinds of things. Finally, Settle spoke. He had no conclusion, only some arguments and questions.

"That's the point. It's actually very simple. They are afraid, but not of us, but of them!" If it weren't for Settle's question, Hong Tao would be very disappointed. So many officers didn't feel anything unusual. They were too slow, and the answer was on the shore!
"They...the people here have a grudge against the people of Basra?" Everyone looked in the direction the emperor pointed. Apart from fields and date palm groves on the shore, there was only the camp of the Basra militia.

"After this battle, everyone will write a self-review, deeply reviewing the omissions of this trip. Setel can be an exception, not because I am biased in granting him marriage, but because he saw the core beneath the surface. Although he did not find the key to the problem, he was not far away.

You have all learned about the two major sects of Islam, so I won't go into detail. But you didn't notice two details. First, the men here, especially the elders, all wear black turbans, and some even wear yellow robes. People in Basra are more likely to wear white turbans and white robes.

Second, the flags here are also black, with a sword pattern embroidered on them. However, there will never be a black flag in Faw Port and Basra City, but it is possible to see one on Hormuz Island.

You may not have learned this detail, so I don't blame you. But you must remember from now on that only Shiites use black flags during special festivals, and only Shiites put sword patterns on their flags.

Now who can tell me why the city lord here is willing to give us food, and why Tabal Pasha looted the city of Samawah but did not touch the city of Basra?"

Hong Tao also noticed the abnormal phenomenon that Setel saw, but he did not pay much attention to it at first. He just thought that the defeated Ottoman soldiers were in a panic and could not carry too much baggage, nor did they have the time to rob all the villages and towns along the way.

But after seeing this city that spans the north and south banks of the Euphrates River, especially the golden decorations on the roofs of the mosques, I suddenly understood. In addition, the overly attentive attitude of the city lord and nobles further explained the problem.

"Did the Ottoman army deliberately rob certain places along the way just because of different religious beliefs?" One of the officers finally understood, but he didn't quite believe it. After all, they were under the rule of the same sultan, so how could they do this?

According to Ming Dynasty law, robbery and theft in war-torn and famine-stricken areas, whether at home or abroad, can be executed in the street without trial. Tabar Pasha was the prime minister, but he allowed his soldiers to rob his own people and cities, and specifically targeted Shiites. If the news reached the Sultan's ears, wouldn't he be afraid of being convicted?
"This is why I am determined to promote ethnic assimilation. If we want the country to be stable and peaceful, we cannot distinguish between people in any name, including religion, ethnicity, language, etc. We must unify them. Otherwise, one day, the same situation will occur in the Ming Dynasty. This is not alarmist, but inevitable.

The city lords and nobles here would rather skip a meal and go hungry to gather together food to reward the troops. It is not to thank us for scaring away the defeated Ottoman soldiers. In fact, without us, the defeated soldiers would not come here to take advantage of the situation.

They are not afraid of us, but the Sunni Basra militia on the shore. These food and boat slaves are bribes. I hope I can restrain my men from robbing again.

The fields here are fertile, and there is a river flowing through. We can harvest as long as we hold on for another two or three months. If we run out of food, we can use dates to fill our stomachs, but if someone takes advantage of the situation and robs us, many people will die."

(End of this chapter)