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Chapter 1461 Why not press the attack while the momentum is on!

Should the ministers act this way? Are they intentionally misleading us? Hong Tao believes they should. From the preparation stage, the court officials have been under immense pressure. Everyone knows what victory or defeat means; now that they finally see hope of winning, it would be abnormal if they weren't happy.

I was actually quite happy. I decided to go to war based on the odds of winning. But war isn't just a game of numbers; it has a lot of uncertainty, and history is full of examples of the weak defeating the strong.

If the army fails to perform to its full fighting potential, or encounters a major unexpected event, this decisive battle could very well be lost. Now that his wish has finally come true, and he himself is the initiator of the war, how could he possibly remain calm?

"However... winning on the battlefield does not necessarily mean total victory. Some things cannot be obtained by guns and cannons alone. How to maximize the benefits of war is what you, my esteemed ministers, should be considering now."

My esteemed ministers are all well aware of my habits, so I will not elaborate further. Speak freely, tell me how to maximize the winner's share of the spoils. Be specific; I do not wish to hear empty words.

After briefly acknowledging the ministers' feelings, Hong Tao's smile faded, and he tapped the table with his knuckles, setting the tone for today's meeting while waiting for the ministers to pass around the battle report.

"As Your Majesty said, we have not yet achieved a complete victory. I believe we should immediately dispatch some warships from the Persian Gulf theater to support Enniu Port and strive for another great victory at the Cape of Good Hope."

This would severely weaken European nations, rendering them incapable of further eastward expansion. Taking advantage of this opportune moment, the Ming army should advance westward, marching out of the Kazakh Khanate and directly to the northern coast of the Black Sea, occupying the Crimean Khanate, and threatening Russia and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.

Another force could march west from the Khanate of Bukhara, heading directly towards Persia and forcing the Sasanian king to commit all his national resources to attack the Ottomans. The remaining troops in the Persian theater could then move north, creating a pincer movement from the south and east.

At this time, European nations had suffered initial defeats and were unable to attend to West Asia. The Ottoman Empire was isolated and without support, and was destined to lose this war, either perishing or fleeing across the straits to Europe. Regardless of their choice, from then on, our dynasty could rule the Mediterranean without any further obstacles.

Perhaps sensing the emperor's delight, Grand Secretary Yuan Yingtai, who was usually reluctant to express his opinion, suddenly seized the opportunity to speak. Not only did he speak, but he also stood up and walked to the large map on the wall behind him. Holding a pointer, he gestured as he spoke, sketching out the map of a vast empire in just a few words.

It stretches from the western coast of the Pacific Ocean in the east, crosses the ocean and extends westward to encompass the entirety of Asia, reaching the Mediterranean and Black Sea coasts, becoming a true neighbor to European countries.

In fact, this was still a conservative plan. According to Yuan Yingtai, if Russia and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth did not show sincerity as losers, or if their attitude was not respectful enough, then the Ming army might just drink from the North Sea.

In addition, there is the Ming Dynasty's Governor-General Region in southern Africa. If this trend continues, in the near future, Northeast Africa and East Africa may be controlled by the Ming Dynasty, forming a contiguous area with southern Africa, and most of Africa will be under its control.

“Excellent, excellent… What Grand Secretary Yuan said is absolutely right! If we do not seize this opportunity to advance westward, once those Western countries have recovered, they will surely harbor wolfish ambitions again.”

His Majesty once said in the Royal Academy that offense is the best defense. Building border fortresses right on the enemy's doorstep ensures that even if war breaks out in the future, it won't damage the empire's foundation. A year or two of fighting won't be a problem! With veteran ministers like Yuan Yingtai leading the way, the atmosphere immediately became lively, and many officials stared at the map with delighted expressions. If such a territory truly existed, besides the emperor's immense contribution and his inevitable becoming a great emperor for all time, these ministers would certainly be remembered for generations to come, their names echoing in the annals of history.

Then a second person stood up. Sun Yuanhua, the Minister of Revenue, elaborated on Yuan Yingtai's points, explaining the many benefits of the army's westward advance from an economic perspective, and predicting the strategic situation for the next few years, decades, and so on. He sounded quite farsighted.

“The Ottomans are indeed a major threat. If we don’t get rid of them, we might end up raising a tiger that will cause trouble later. However, Russia is a harsh and cold land. As Your Majesty said, once Russia is incorporated into our Great Ming, everyone will be a Ming citizen, and the court must treat them all equally. The journey is so long, I’m afraid it will be difficult to take care of them all.”

The third speaker was Yang Sichang, the Minister of Rites. He agreed in principle with the suggestions of his two colleagues, but had some concerns about attacking Russia. Having worked in diplomacy for many years, he was quite familiar with local customs and did not believe that assimilation could be achieved quickly.

"Deputy Chief of Staff Tan, what is the General Staff's view on this?"

Three high-ranking officials spoke in succession, but the emperor did not show any expression. This made Grand Secretary Li Ruzhang, who wanted to agree, start to feel uneasy. He swallowed back what he was going to say and wanted to hear the military's opinion.

"...In the General Staff's previous plans, there was no contingency plan for a large-scale westward advance. At this time, I also do not agree to continue the westward advance for two reasons."

Firstly, there's the logistical aspect. As is well known, the railcarts were only built to less than 100 kilometers within the territory of Kazakhstan and the Khanate of Bukhara. This was barely sufficient to support defensive operations, but it couldn't meet the needs of a large army advancing westward.

An army's strength depends on its supplies; whether in attack or defense, the Ming army relied entirely on its firepower. If it ran out of ammunition, its combat effectiveness would drop significantly, which would be extremely dangerous.

Secondly, there are the issues of weather and environment. Further west from the Kazakh Khanate, the route stretches for thousands of miles through mostly uninhabited land. In summer, the roads are muddy and teeming with mosquitoes, while in winter, heavy snow blocks the roads and the ground is as hard as iron.

The journey from the Khanate of Bukhara into Persia was similar; the region was extremely water-scarce, and the continuous mountain ranges offered no suitable roads for large armies. Building a railway to reach Russia and the Ottoman Empire was virtually impossible, and relying solely on camel caravans resulted in significant losses of supplies, less than one-tenth the efficiency, and prohibitively high costs.

Tan Buming sat opposite the map, staring at it with a worried expression while the ministers vied to speak. When he was called upon, he reluctantly stood up, hesitated for a moment, then turned and took the folder from a confidential staff officer, beginning to read from the document.

"Deputy Chief of Staff Tan, it's difficult to transport by land. Wouldn't it be more convenient by sea?" Upon hearing that the suggestion to press on with the victory was about to be rejected by the General Staff, Minister of Education Ma Baoguo couldn't help but question it.

In his view, these difficulties were merely excuses, not insurmountable obstacles. The Ming navy was so powerful that there was no need to build railways. Wherever the army went on land, as long as it could find a port near the sea, supplies would naturally be readily available. When the emperor led his army westward to Damascus, wasn't it precisely by sea that logistical support was met?

(End of this chapter)