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Chapter 1184 Mountain War 3
The night in the Gobi Desert was very quiet. Even the wind seemed to be frozen by the near-zero temperature, no longer running wildly like it did during the day. The sky was full of twinkling stars, forming a clear belt from the southwest to the northeast.

In fact, this is the busiest time, as the small insects that fear being roasted by the high temperature come out of their shelters and look for food nearby. Small animals that feed on insects also come out of their nests and hide in dark corners, waiting for an opportunity to strike.

But tonight, the insects and animals near the village of Dumayr, east of Damascus, are destined to change their schedules. A large number of tents occupy the Gobi Desert, and groups of dark shadows walk around in the middle of the night, snoring breaks the silence, and groups of fire disturb the night sky.

"Bashika, why didn't the Ming army come to rescue their soldiers?"

There was also movement on the hillside north of the camp. A bunch of dry grass was slowly lifted up, revealing a cave entrance and two bearded men's faces. The young man looked at the dots of light in the Ming army camp in the distance, wiped the snot from his beard, and his eyes were full of envy and jealousy.

Following Tabar Pasha, they retreated westward from the port of Faw, sleeping in the open and not daring to stop for a moment along the way. They finally arrived in Damascus more than 20 days ago.

I thought I could take a break, but not only did I fail to enter the city, I was also assigned to dig holes and ambush in this mountainous area, preparing to use the terrain advantage to fight a decisive battle with the Ming army.

Ever since they discovered that the Ming army was approaching, the Guards Corps hiding in the mountains received orders not to go out of the cave during the day and could only come out to stretch their arms and legs after dark.

In the afternoon, dozens of Ming troops began searching along the mountain road. When their figures were blocked by the hills, the Guards Corps ambushed nearby immediately launched an attack.

The battle was fierce. Despite the cover of the caves and the unexpected attack, the Ming army still relied on the mountain to resist tenaciously until the last man ignited the gunpowder can. In the end, the number of casualties on both sides was basically the same.

Faced with such a fierce opponent, the entire Guards Corps was in a heavy mood and placed their last hope on the advantage in numbers. Even a two-for-one or three-for-one exchange would be a victory.

As long as they could cause heavy casualties to the Ming army, the disadvantage of coming from afar would become apparent. However, the Ming army did not send follow-up troops into the mountains to search for their missing companions as expected, but actually set up camp at the foot of the mountain and all went to sleep in tents.

"Their commander is smart. He knows there is an ambush here and is unwilling to sacrifice more soldiers' lives. I don't know how they will attack after daybreak. Whether we win or lose, it will be a tough battle."

Bashika is equivalent to a platoon leader in the Guards Corps. He is a bit old, with some graying beard and sideburns. He should be the old Jerichen mentioned by Derviš.

These veterans had already retired from the Guards Corps, but whenever there was a major war they would return to the legion for temporary service, a bit like the re-employment in later generations.

Although their physical functions have deteriorated, they all have extremely rich combat experience. They usually serve as staff officers, giving advice to generals, or directly serve as mid-level and junior officers to provide necessary guidance to young soldiers.

"Is the Ming army more difficult to fight than the armies of the Holy Roman Empire and the Polish Confederation? If they are so powerful, why haven't we heard of them before? Do you know where the Ming Empire is? How far is it from us?" The young soldier was a little surprised to hear his boss's tone of uncertainty and even pessimism. In the Guards Corps or the entire Ottoman Empire, the only strong enemies were the Europeans north of the Strait. Even the Persians who rose in recent years were just minor enemies and did not dare to fight the main force of the empire head-on.

The Guards Corps has fought against many powerful enemies, such as the dragoons of the Archduchy of Austria, the Hungarian hussars, the winged cavalry of the Polish Confederation, the Cossack cavalry, the light cavalry of the Crimean Khanate, and the Egyptian Mamluk heavy cavalry. The head-on confrontations were all 50-50.

But the two battles at the port of Fao and the city of Basra dumbfounded the Ottoman elite who had defeated the main forces of various countries in Asia, Africa and Europe. The Ming army, relying only on pure infantry with a numerical disadvantage, defeated the Guards Corps and the Sipahi cavalry in the offensive state, causing heavy casualties and retreat. It was incredible.

"I heard from the navy that the Ming Empire is far to the east. It takes half a year to get there, passing through several countries along the way from Persia. There are a very, very large population and very, very large cities, larger than Istanbul.

In the past, they were not keen on expansion and only operated in the East. It was not until the emperor who led the expedition came to the throne that they built a powerful fleet and defeated many countries along the way. Their merchants also began to appear in the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea and were called Chinese.

The navy had fought their fleet and was completely wiped out in just one day. It was said that this was because the warships were equipped with cannons with long range and great power, which was also seen in Fao Port and Basra City. It was indeed true.

Fortunately, this place is not suitable for large-scale deployment of troops, and it is even more difficult to transport artillery on the mountain road. Don't be afraid, the Chinese are also human beings. As long as we can inflict more casualties on them, they will eventually retreat. "

The veteran was well-informed and had a good understanding of the Ming army's background and had also heard some related rumors. He then made a simple analysis based on the information and finally came to a relatively reasonable conclusion.

"The Ming army's artillery is not the most powerful. Those big black balls are the devil from hell. There must be black wizards on them, probably witches. They are the ones who control the big balls to fly into the sky to monitor our every move!"

There were twelve soldiers lying in ambush in this hiding cave near the top of the mountain. Upon hearing the whispers of the two people at the cave entrance, the nearest Sipahi veteran also woke up and took the initiative to join the chat.

Judging from his facial features, he is clearly of European descent, and is most likely a member of a Christian family that was conscripted as part of the blood tax. Although he converted to Islam, there is still a lot of Christian culture in his cognition, and he even made up a story about witches.

"The Pasha must have thought of the role of the black ball, so he placed the battlefield here. As long as it dares to rise on the mountain road, the cannons hidden on the top of the mountain will aim and shoot. Once it is shot down, we will know whether there is a witch inside."

Bashika basically agreed with this statement, but he was not sure what was in the black ball. But this was not Faw Port and Basra City. The rugged mountain roads and staggered peaks provided excellent shooting positions for artillery, while the Ming army was restricted to the relatively low-altitude mountain roads, making them more vulnerable to attack.

(End of this chapter)