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Chapter 1188 Mountain War 7
"No, your calculation is wrong. Tabar Pasha does not have that many Guards Corps available. Minus the more than 2000 who surrendered and died in Faw Port, the number of Guards Corps he can currently mobilize does not exceed ."

When it comes to specific issues, Hong Tao is not so easy to talk to. He is not only fussy but also very meticulous.

"Yes, Your Majesty is right. I was negligent... If we calculate based on the combat effectiveness of the Sipahi cavalry and the provincial armed forces, I will have to add at least 5,000 more people, preferably led by the Guards Corps."

This is one of the reasons why Lei Lao Hu and the imperial soldiers were unwilling to follow the emperor into battle. They didn't know what question they would be asked, and it happened to be within the scope of their work. At the very least, they would be criticized, and at the worst, it would likely affect their promotion.

"Well, that's about right. 35000 minus 15000 leaves 20000. If Tabar has a conspiracy, he will definitely not hide in the city. He will definitely take the initiative to attack.

But he couldn't send out all his troops. At least a few thousand people had to be left behind to defend the city. Excluding the engineers and the weaker militia, the number of mobile forces he could mobilize would not exceed 15000.

Now the question is, from what direction, when, and how should the enemy launch an active attack on us? "

If you answer a question correctly, don't be complacent, because this is just the fuse, and more, more acute, and more thought-provoking questions will follow. Look, three more questions were raised in one go.

"…Students think that two time periods are most appropriate: one is when our army's offensive is going smoothly into the mountainous area; the other is when our offensive is frustrated, with heavy casualties, and the intention to retreat begins to emerge. The method is of course a cavalry raid. Although this is a desert, it is very flat and is most suitable for large-scale cavalry maneuvers.

Direction...direction...students think that the swamp in the west is the best place to surprise the enemy, but cavalry is not very suitable for traveling through swamps. If they bypass the swamp and appear from the south, the distance is too far and they will not be able to communicate in time. "

This time, Lei Laohu had a hard time answering. He thought for a while before saying a few words, as there were some key points that were not very certain and needed further verification.

"The south can be ignored. As you said, the distance is too far and the two sides cannot cooperate well. In addition, with tens of thousands of cavalry on a long journey, fodder is not a small amount and it is difficult to gather it in a hurry.

But you overlooked a detail. The Ottomans abandoned many horses on their way back westwards and collected many camels from towns along the way. This type of dromedary is very good at traveling long distances in soft deserts. If they can find a relatively hard path, the muddy terrain should not be too difficult for their big feet. "

Hong Tao listened very carefully, but his mouth was not idle either. He finished his meal in no time, took the wet towel handed to him by Wang Chengen to wipe his mouth, and then put a lit cigar in his mouth without delaying the work of correcting students' homework.

"Didn't His Majesty send Wei San and the Warrior Battalion to follow the guide to investigate?"

Lei Laohu thought the emperor's analysis was correct, except for one detail that was puzzling. He had clearly sent people to find a path through the swamp, so why were they still worried about the enemy passing through it?
"Hey, I've caught you again! Wang Chengen, remember this: Lei Lao Hu neglected his duties, trusted outsiders, and put the entire army in danger. I will serve you for now and wait and see what happens next.

You are also an old soldier who has followed me in many battles. How could you trust a guide who you have only known for more than half a month and whose real name and origin you don't even know? "

It would have been better if he hadn't asked. He was almost dragged out and beheaded for asking. The emperor smiled cunningly, as if he was so proud to be a teacher and boss when he saw his student and subordinate made a mistake.

"Then, what about Wei San and the others?" Lei Lao Hu was not frightened to the point of kneeling down and begging for mercy. This was not the first time he had done this. As long as he didn't do it again, the account of the change in Wang Chengen's little notebook would not take effect. But when he thought that Wei San might have been deliberately led astray by the guide, or even trapped to death in the swamp, he couldn't relax at all.

"You should worry less about others and think more about how to deal with possible enemies!" However, Hong Tao was not at all pleased with this expression of true feelings among colleagues, and he even curled his lips and ridiculed them.

It's not that he wants to kill someone with a borrowed knife, but Wei San doesn't have to worry about it at all. That guy looks big and strong, with only muscles but no brains, but in fact he is full of tricks and often makes Wang Chengen go around in circles.

Moreover, he had been hinted before leaving that he would closely monitor the old guide's every move, and if he found anything unusual, he would take the most appropriate approach on his own.

"Students obey orders!"

This time, there was no need to think about it. As long as we knew the general movement of the enemy, more than 10,000 cavalrymen were not a big threat in such a flat terrain. However, with the emperor around, we had to be more cautious and immediately re-arrange the defense system of the camp.

"Stop! Finish your meal before you go. The battle has just started for half a day, nothing will happen. Tell the attacking troops to minimize casualties and don't pursue speed. Damascus City is right there, they can't escape!"

Seeing his subordinates getting nervous, Hong Tao would back off and start to comfort them. This alternation of tension and relaxation is hard to adapt to and is very challenging. After a few more times, when you encounter similar situations in the future, you will naturally be less nervous.

The afternoon battle was no different from the morning battle. Just like the bell for class, when the piercing sound of the trumpet echoed through the valley, the sound of gunfire spread. On the originally clean hillside, there were scattered figures, and they continued to erode the nearby hilltops along the mountain.

The only difference was that there were more louder explosions. More than a dozen field guns were pulled to the commanding heights occupied in the morning. With the assistance of observers holding large telescopes, they would occasionally fire a few shots at some Ottoman preset positions or artillery positions.

The Ming army soldiers on the mountain road were even more cunning. They hid their bodies in pits or behind large rocks, only showing half of their faces, watching carefully, and only firing two shots at the target after a while.

If the enemy is determined not to show up, they will slowly change their pupae on the ground like maggots, and hide again once attacked.

On the other hand, the Ottoman defenders were in a bit of trouble at this time. If they didn't show their heads, the Ming army would keep moving forward, and as long as they got within a hundred meters, they would use muskets to shoot small explosive iron balls, and they were quite accurate.

If you shoot with your head exposed, most of the time you will not hit anyone, and you will also expose your position, and will soon be bombarded by the Ming army's artillery on the nearby hills. These shells are not stone balls or iron balls, you just need to avoid the head-on impact and you will be fine. They will also explode, and if you are not well hidden, you will suffer.

At the same time, we must pay special attention to the movements on the nearby hills. The Ming army is more annoying than mountain leeches. They crawl around along the hillsides. You can never be sure that they have found a shooting range somewhere and can still shoot accurately from a distance of two or three hundred meters.

(End of this chapter)