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Chapter 1202 Another Accident
With the failure of the Ottoman cavalry's sneak attack, the Battle of Damascus also came to an end. As the reserve forces were almost completely lost, Tabar Pasha could no longer provide sufficient reinforcements to the mountain pass defenders. The Ming army's progress became faster and faster, and it broke through the valley area where the fortifications were most concentrated in the afternoon of the second day.

There were no large-scale pre-set positions from here forward, and the Ottoman defenders could no longer rely on the terrain to fight and retreat. They were completely exposed to the Ming army's superior firepower, and casualties increased sharply.

After holding out for a night and half a day, they had no choice but to retreat, or escape, abandoning their positions, baggage, wounded soldiers, and all artillery, and disappeared into the mountains without looking back.

Arabs often say that whoever Allah favors will be settled in Damascus. This city is not only prosperous but also has a pleasant climate, large orchards and wetlands, and is known as the Garden City.

Although it has been devastated by many wars, Damascus is still very charming. You don't need to look closely to see it. You can see a completely different view just at the end of the mountain road.

The first thing you see is a large area of ​​mulberry, almond and olive trees, stretching for more than ten miles. At the end of the woods, there is a vaguely visible city, with the iconic minaret seeming to beckon guests from afar.

Looking into the distance, the background of the city is endless mountains, some of which are black, some are dark yellow, and there are white dots on the mountain tops, which form a sharp color contrast with the lush green surrounding the city, like a large landscape oil painting.

"Mubarak, I know you don't like the Ming army, and I know you deliberately concealed the swamp passage. But it doesn't matter. From your point of view, we are indeed invaders.

But the invaders do not necessarily bring killing and oppression, and today I will prove this. You can go now and tell Tabar Pasha in Damascus that I hope he can recognize the situation and give up resistance.

From Faw Port to Damascus, he had shown enough wisdom and faith to deserve the position of Grand Vizier. However, the reality was cruel. He had failed and it was futile to resist. Doing so would not only cost him his life, but also bring disaster to the people in the city.

I have come with my army only to seek justice from Murad IV. I do not intend to occupy the land here, nor do I want to rob the people's property. As long as the defenders in the city are willing to lay down their arms and surrender, I can guarantee their safety.

Of course, if Tabar Pasha does not accept my proposal, the war and killing will continue, and everyone in the city will have to pay a heavy price to make up for the losses of the Ming army.

I will give you one day. If the defenders still don't surrender by this time tomorrow, I will regard it as a rejection. Remember, there is no negotiation, and the loser is not qualified to make conditions. Flathead, find him two camels and send someone to escort him out of the warning area. "

The Ming army that passed through the mountains did not immediately attack the city, but instead found a relatively flat high ground between the hillside and the woods to set up camp, waiting for follow-up troops to follow up.

Hong Tao followed the hot air balloon up to an altitude of more than 50 meters and watched through a telescope for more than half an hour. After coming down, he called the Shiite guide over and gave him an ultimatum in a very slow voice.

This city is indeed very beautiful. It not only has Islamic architecture, but also very distinctive European-style buildings, such as the city gates with Roman columns and onion-domed churches.

Even if it does not belong to the Ming Empire, it is an important symbol of human civilization, and it can be considered for protection without increasing the danger. The main reason is that the victory and defeat have been decided, and there is no need to fight to the death for some obsession. Even if Tabar Pasha can mobilize more than 100,000 people in the city, it will not help.

Yesterday, the messengers arrived safely from Fao Port and Baghdad, bringing news from the rear. One of the news was that the vanguard troops of the 30th Guard of the Western Regions were marching a hundred miles away, and the main force would arrive in two days, along with a large number of weapons and ammunition.

More than 10,000 professional soldiers armed with breech-loading rifles and hundreds of field artillery can kill everyone in the city within a day. When the gap in strength is too large, it is foolish to fight head-on.

"Your Majesty, this Ottoman Prime Minister is more familiar with our fighting methods, and his generals also have experience fighting against us. I think we should screen them before releasing them."

Hearing that the emperor wanted to persuade them to surrender, Lei Lao Hu and Yang Zhiyi appeared in the war room together soon. Yang Zhiyi expressed his different opinions, but Lei Lao Hu absolutely agreed, and it might have been his idea.

The reason is simple. Conquering a city or persuading a city to surrender does not have much impact on the military merits of the main general, but the middle and lower-level commanders cannot get much military merits. Seeing a big piece of fat meat in front of their mouths about to fly away, how can they give up easily? Even if it is the emperor's idea, they have to argue with reason.

"I cannot stay here for too long. You all saw the signalmen yesterday. In addition to the 30th Guards arriving soon, they also brought a top-secret report from the Navy General Staff. I will not go into the details, but I must hurry back to my homeland.

Chief of Staff Ding is on his way. He will be responsible for the peace talks with Ferdinand III's representatives. The specific plan will depend on the outcome of the negotiations. You are left here alone to guard a ruined city that has been destroyed by war, and you have killed and injured a large number of local people. Can I leave with peace of mind?"

The reasons Yang Zhiyi put forward were not very tenable, but Hong Tao understood their demands. If there had not been yesterday's emergency report, it would not have mattered if the means used to deal with the defeated generals were more drastic. But he was leaving soon and could not leave them with a mess. The more stable the situation, the better.

"Navy General Staff... Your Majesty, is the eastward advance plan going to be brought forward?"

The emperor had said so, and the two generals had no choice but to obey no matter how unwilling they were. But Lei Lao Hu was indeed a well-known meticulous person in the army, and he actually guessed the source of the report thousands of miles away.

"Don't worry about this. It's too greedy to think about taking care of both things and the city! Okay, stop arguing with me. Get ready for the siege. If they don't surrender, we must take the city in the shortest possible time. This is a big city with more than 100,000 people. The task is not easy."

Hong Tao did not give a direct answer, but it was almost an admission. The report did come from the Hawaii Naval Base. Half a year ago, Tao Daxiang, the commander of the East China Sea Fleet who was responsible for the security of the base, received a report from his generals that two schooners appeared off the coast of Pearl Harbor.

Because of the typhoon, the navy warships could not leave the port. The typhoon stopped the next day, and the sailboat disappeared. The incident was reported to the Navy Staff that month, but Chief of Staff Zhu Haiou was helpless and could only report it to the General Staff for filing.

(End of this chapter)