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Chapter 1361 Beyond Reach 2
However, for Hong Tao, this speed was still insufficient. He sat like a giant spider in the Forbidden City, constantly listening for battle reports from the front lines. Even when he finally received them, they were from at least two months ago; sometimes, even with a thousand skills and ten thousand brilliant plans, it was all in vain.

"It seems there are some experts in Europe too. They actually used the strategy of feigning an attack while secretly advancing, and they did such a good job of keeping it secret."

Before the news of the capture of Guayaquil had even reached them, Tan Mingbu rushed to the Hall of Mental Cultivation, sweating profusely, to report the bad news. The Governor of South Africa and Yan Busi, commander of the fleet stationed at Enbird Port, jointly reported that a European coalition force had suddenly appeared north of Enbird City, numbering over a thousand, though the exact number was unknown!

Upon seeing this urgent message, Hong Tao was no longer in a hurry. He walked to the large map with his hands behind his back, took the extra-large pencil handed to him by Wang Chengen, and sketched on it for a long time before finally letting out a heartfelt sigh.

"Your Majesty need not worry. The Seychelles base still has 10 warships and half a Marine Corps. According to the Navy's deployment, they will set sail immediately to provide support after receiving the warning from Enbird Port, and will arrive within two weeks."

Seeing the emperor's calm demeanor, Tan Buming grew even more panicked. The General Staff, responsible for military statistics, was certainly partly to blame for failing to detect the major operations of the European coalition in Africa, and for a significant one at that. Being scolded would be a relief; silence meant no forgiveness.

"Don't try to reassure me. No matter how many warships you have, they can't launch a amphibious assault. It's hard to say whether Enbird City can be defended. I bet that the force attacking Enbird City will not be just an army; there will definitely be a considerable number of warships assisting them."

There's no need to worry about the sea, but Enbird City only has one army garrison, yet it has to defend both the port area and the city. If the enemy has a large enough number of troops and can focus their attacks on one area, it will be difficult to cover everything.

I fear that Yan Busi and Zhang Yongling will be hesitant to make a decision and will insist on defending Enniu City to the death. Their families, political achievements, friends, and wealth are all in the city. Would you abandon it if you were in their shoes?

Tan Buming was indeed overthinking things. Hong Tao did not blame the Statistics Department for its failed intelligence work. In fact, the Ministry of Rites and the Advisory Office had not received any information about the large-scale deployment of European allied forces to Africa. They only knew that the Europeans were assembling a fleet in West Africa.

However, the Europeans were the victors in this battle of wits. They guessed that the Ming Dynasty's navy was its strength, so they deliberately moved their ships south and sent another part of their army east, creating the appearance of a major offensive along the Crimean and Ottoman lines to confuse the enemy.

Even if a large number of European allied forces suddenly appeared near Port-e-Ngo, it wouldn't be the end of the world. After nearly twenty years of development, Port-e-Ngo had long been a military fortress, with over 200 coastal artillery pieces installed. Even if the army attacked on its own, it wouldn't be very confident of victory.

The city of Korn was not as fortified as some might think; its walls were low and its defenses were few. No one had anticipated that Europeans could cross the desert and high plateau, bypassing the natural barrier formed by dozens of tribes, and attack from the north.

If Yan Busi and Zhang Yongling are unwilling to abandon their homes, schools, factories, warehouses, and people in Enniu City and insist on dividing their troops to defend it to the death, this battle will become very troublesome. The European coalition forces are not the Ottoman Janissaries; they are equipped with far more muskets and cannons, making the outcome difficult to predict.

"I'm not worried about what the students will choose, but I'm afraid the locals will take the opportunity to defect. Your Majesty should know that Enbird Port is built on Xhosa territory, and many Xhosa warriors have been armed there over the years."

With bows and crossbows and armor, they continued to expand westward and northward, sometimes with the help of our garrison. Many tribes were wiped out as a result, and some were forced to migrate.

Normally, they couldn't fight the Xhosas and could only endure it. Now that the European coalition had arrived, and from the very territories of these tribes, something was definitely amiss!

Seeing that the Emperor didn't seem inclined to blame the General Staff, Tan Buming suppressed his inner turmoil and began racking his brains to make a good impression. As long as he could offer some substantial, substantive advice, even if it was ultimately unhelpful, the Emperor wouldn't be truly angry—that was the norm. "...Hmm, not bad, you've improved, greatly improved! Get the Chief of Staff some cold drinks; the weather this year has been rather abnormal, a turbulent time indeed!"

Sure enough, when Tan Buming mentioned other black tribes in South Africa, Hong Tao actually smiled, beckoned him to sit down, and even asked Wang Chengen to bring out cold drinks.

This is a summer drink created by the Emperor exclusively for the newly promoted Lady Aisha. One sip is icy, sweet, and smooth, refreshing from the throat to the intestines, instantly dispelling the summer heat. It hasn't been revealed to outsiders yet, and no amount of money can buy it; usually, only ministers who please the Emperor can enjoy it.

"Thank you, Your Majesty... I'm grateful to Eunuch Wang..." But at this moment, Tan Mingbu had no appetite at all. He forced down half a spoonful, but the heat hadn't subsided, and his mouth was still full of bitterness.

"Eat up, there's no use in rushing. Who has the ability to fly over there? Since the battle plan has already been drawn up, don't change it lightly before failure is certain. Moving one thing will affect the whole situation, not only will it not help, but it may also affect other war zones."

Continue recruiting. The second batch of reserves should number at least 100,000. Combine the first batch with the existing Marine Corps and Army, and send them to the Spice Islands for combat as soon as possible. The army should be formed by the end of the year at the latest!

I will instruct the Ministry of Rites and the Hanlin Academy to write more articles in the newspapers. Furthermore, you must control the mouths of the military and prevent the spread of hearsay. We can discuss this further once news of the expeditionary fleet arrives!

Since his subordinates have made progress, there's no need to demand more. Hong Tao not only didn't complain but also acted as a psychological counselor, further reducing the burden on the deputy chief of the general staff. Currently, the astronauts are far away in the southwest, and it's indeed not easy for Tan Buming to support the entire general staff alone. He must not be burdened with any more mental baggage.

"Will there be another disturbance in the court?"

Tan Buming largely agreed with the emperor's suggestion. There was no point in rushing things; there was simply no time to provide aid. The only option now was to continue implementing the established plan step by step. Even if Enbird Port were lost, the Ming Empire's strategic depth remained vast. Every step back would actually strengthen their fighting capacity; it was too early to determine the outcome.

However, the expectations for war within the Ming Empire were not all positive, especially given the scale of the war, with the entire nation's army being mobilized for a long and arduous expedition to both the east and the west, which many court officials found difficult to understand.

The core interests of the Ming Empire were not large. In terms of military affairs, as long as it held onto Southeast Asia and the Western Regions, it could basically meet all its internal needs. It could close its doors and be self-sufficient, ignoring everyone else.

Economically, relying on its absolute advantages in the sugar, textile, metallurgical, machinery manufacturing, and agriculture industries, it could easily exchange a few second-grade products for large quantities of gold, silver, timber, and grain to meet domestic circulation needs.

Instead of enjoying such a comfortable and peaceful life, they insist on challenging the Europeans, forcing them to acknowledge control over Asia, sign bilateral military and economic agreements, and even try to establish a new world order!

(End of this chapter)