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Chapter 1180 Someone Can't Sit Still 2
"The Europeans want to take advantage of our war with the Ottoman Empire to launch another Crusade and capture Jerusalem from Cyprus. It makes sense tactically, but is it worth it?"

After roughly understanding the history and location of the Kingdom of Jerusalem, the officers immediately understood what the Europeans wanted to do. However, they still did not quite believe it. For such a small city with few resources, would the Europeans have to go to war and offend two major countries at once? It was too unreasonable.

"The Europeans are not stupid at all. They say they want to take back the holy city, but they certainly don't mean it. They are occupying coastal ports such as Beirut, Acre and Tripoli under the guise of restoring Jerusalem.

This also shows that they understand what we are going to do and do not want to be controlled by others and watch huge trade profits fall into the hands of Arabs and Egyptians.

Don't curse them first, we actually did the same thing. Using the excuse that Wang Datou was captured and the Suez Port talks were disrupted, they launched a large-scale attack on Mesopotamia in order to open up a land route to the Mediterranean and facilitate the circulation of Ming Dynasty goods.

Remember, as a soldier or official, if you are a bad guy for the sake of national interests, no matter how shameless, dirty, mean, immoral, or even cruel you are, you don't have to feel the slightest bit of guilt. Instead, you should feel honored.

Even if they fail, their true intentions are exposed, and they are captured, killed, or insulted by other countries, I and the court will do our best to rescue them, and engrave them as heroes on the stone tablet outside the Meridian Gate, so that their deeds can be passed down through the ages and be admired by the people.

On the contrary, whoever dares to pretend to be a good person outside and use the blood and sweat of the people of the Ming Dynasty to please outsiders, even if the whole world says he is good, as long as I find out, the Imperial Guards' prison will be his final destination, and his whole family will suffer with him!"

Hong Tao had no idea about this question. The emperor of the Ming Empire was so angry that he led his troops to attack the treacherous Ottoman Empire. This was just for the people to hear, and to deceive the incompetent people.

In fact, it is not difficult for anyone who knows a little about this country and this emperor to figure out what he wants to do. Europeans understand it quickly and react even faster, which is normal.

But the behavior of some officers was not normal. They were so immersed in cursing the Europeans that they actually regarded themselves as the embodiment of justice and everyone else as clowns.

It's fine for an ordinary soldier to think this way, but as a high-ranking official in the imperial army, you can't be confused about good and evil. You must know what is good and what is evil, so that you can know why you should do evil and why you should do good.

"Your Majesty will have to face two armies at the same time. I'm afraid the previous plan will have to be changed. I beg Your Majesty to suspend the attack and return to Hormuz Island or Faw Port to reorganize with the Navy and Army Staff!"

Lei Lao Hu and his fellow officers don't mind being evaluated by outsiders. The previous graduates of the Haihu Division were all orphans. They had never seen a good face since childhood and had experienced the vicissitudes of life. They also possessed a talent that ordinary people could hardly achieve. They were very tough inside and it was not enough to describe them as being able to swallow the insult.

But one cannot help but worry about the emperor's safety. With such an isolated army deep inland and relying only on a river for supplies, it might be enough to deal with the Ottomans alone, but if Europeans were added, it would probably not be so safe.

The safest way at this time is to wait and see what happens. First observe the fighting power of the Europeans, then see how many troops the Ottomans plan to send to the south, and then find a way to deal with them.

"We don't have that much time. The war must be over before April, and we must evacuate regardless of whether we win or lose. The summer temperature here is incomparable to other areas. Even if there is plenty of water, people will be sunburned during the day.

In areas with dense water networks, plagues often break out under high temperatures. I would rather watch you all perish with the enemy than let so many good men of the Ming Dynasty die in vain in a foreign land. Send someone to the north to contact Du Wenhuan, and tell him the secret report and my intentions, and then borrow a guard from him. After arriving, you don't need to advance with the army, but stay in Samawah, Najaf and Karbala.

This is all Shiite-controlled area, which is more hostile to the Ottomans. As long as we do not touch on the issue of religious status and can provide them with security in fact, there will be no big problems.

I will land in Ramadi as planned, and cross the Gobi Desert along the ancient trade route to attack Damascus. It is the largest city in the Arab region of the Ottoman Empire and also the political and military center. Tabar Pasha will not run away again. We must fight a decisive battle, otherwise he will not be able to return to Istanbul.

Only by defeating the main Ottoman army led by Tabar Pasha can this battle come to an end. It is important to note that Arabs are always friendly and well-intentioned to the victors. "

Should we temporarily avoid the two armies of Europe and the Ottoman Empire at the same time? Hong Tao and Lei Lao Hu have different ideas. 1+1 does not necessarily equal 2.

Europeans and the Ottomans have been fighting for hundreds of years. Even if both sides exercise restraint, they would have accumulated some grievances that are difficult to resolve. It is particularly unrealistic to suddenly become united against a common enemy. Even if the top leaders intend to do so, the middle and lower levels will not immediately trust each other.

Therefore, the probability of facing a two-sided attack is relatively low, but the probability of defeating each one is higher. Don't consider whether you are afraid or not. Fear and worry are both emotional and may seriously deviate from reality. Only cold data can get a closer answer, and then just do it.

But there are always unexpected things. What if the analysis is wrong and the Europeans are really in cahoots with the Ottomans? What should we do?
Two words: negotiation. Hong Tao could tolerate Europeans occupying some ports on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean, but he would never allow the Ottomans to continue to grow and develop.

Cutting off Damascus is equivalent to cutting off the Ottoman Empire's lumbar vertebrae, making it difficult for its upper and lower bodies to respond to each other. This is the easiest way to eliminate its influence.

After driving away the Ottoman Empire, they could then suppress one faction and manipulate the Arab region, sow discord and stir up trouble. If they did not make a mess here, how could they fish in troubled waters?

The Europeans' intention of intervening at this time was simple: money. Coincidentally, Hong Tao was least afraid of this word. You want to make money together, right? We can talk. As long as the conditions are right, even the Fau Port can be given up.

But the Kingdom of Jerusalem must not be revived. The Ottomans, Europe and the Ming Dynasty cannot occupy an inch of land here. The future West Asia region must be managed by local people.

As for whether Sunnis or Shiites should be dominant, what roles should Egyptians and Persians play, and how to draw the boundaries between them, we can sit down together and discuss it slowly.

If the negotiations are not successful in one year, then two years will be allowed. The end will come when the negotiations are successful. For the Ming Empire, as long as the Ottoman Empire is driven out of West Asia and Europeans are not allowed to get involved again, it will be a victory.

(End of this chapter)