unclear

Chapter 1470 Post-War Sequelae

At the end of 1639, World War I came to an end. Yes, it was a world war. Although the two sides were the major European countries and the Ming Empire, totaling no more than fifteen countries, the regions and populations completely or partially controlled by them accounted for more than 70% of the world's total.

The war was divided into three main theaters—north, central, and south—and one sub-theater on the west coast of the Americas, ultimately resulting in a one-sided victory. The Ming Empire achieved overwhelming victories in all three main theaters—north, West Asia, and South Africa—as well as the sub-theater on the west coast of the Americas.

The most disheartening battle for European countries was the Battle of Enniu Port. The Allied forces, with more than 200 warships and over 3 elite troops from various countries, attacked for more than half a month using every method imaginable, including sneak attacks, naval sieges, forcing local natives to defect, and nighttime landings.

Aside from capturing the poorly defended Enbird City, the rest were all losses. In the end, they had to retreat stealthily under the cover of night, only to have their movements discovered by the armed cargo fleet of the Ming Dynasty navy.

This led to a counterattack by the Ming army on the shore, which within just a few hours decimated the beach camp that the allied forces had spent more than ten days building. Less than half of the allied soldiers guarding the beach surrendered, while the majority had to flee north along the river to join the French army that had occupied Enniu City and seek protection.

After this, the European coalition was divided into land and sea forces, making it difficult for them to communicate with each other, let alone secretly retreat.

After three days of effort and the loss of more than 20 warships, the Allied commander-in-chief Bernhard decisively ordered the abandonment of the land forces and a full retreat under cover of night. Even though several thousand of France's most elite army soldiers were still waiting for rescue in Ennau, they did not hesitate to make this drastic sacrifice.

It was precisely because of his decisiveness that Yan Busi and Wang Tiemao's plan to besiege the enemy's stronghold and ambush reinforcements failed. After they discovered that the allied fleet had vanished overnight, they immediately assembled their fleet and chased it westward for more than 600 kilometers, but found nothing except two Dutch privateers with damaged masts.

As for the tens of thousands of troops lost in the Northern and Western theaters, European countries weren't particularly concerned. When did the Russians and Crimeans ever become human? They were just a bunch of talking beasts; it would be better if they were all dead.

The Ottomans could be called human, but they had always been enemies of Christian nations, and it would be best if they were all wiped out. Only the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and the Venetian mercenaries were somewhat of a pity, but only a pity; they were far from crippling.

The sinking of over 50 warships in Enniu Harbor and the more than 1 soldiers forced to remain made European countries truly feel the pain. These were elite troops selected from their respective standing armies, with the best equipment and treatment, in addition to their manpower. Gone just like that—it wasn't just physical pain, it was a heart-wrenching agony!

But no amount of pain could change the fact of defeat. As the first fast cruisers to return to Europe docked in Amsterdam, church bells soon rang. Not to celebrate victory and welcome heroes, but toll a mournful death knell. The choir chanted hymns of blessing, praying for the parishioners who had gone to war.

We pray they come back alive, otherwise much land will be barren this winter, many workshops will have to shut down, and even the ships docked at the pier will be unable to set sail.

A mob has a characteristic: when things are going well, they can unite against external forces, but once they encounter adversity, without hesitation, they immediately start minding their own business and focusing solely on their own interests. Allies and allies are to hell with them!
If Europe, after the two world wars, could still converge in ideology and culture and band together for mutual support, then the European countries of the early 17th century were truly a motley crew.

Culture, religion, ethnicity, region, including language and lifestyle, meant that Europe was completely divided at this time. Even without external enemies, they had been fighting amongst themselves for decades, with no glimmer of hope for peace in sight. However, some European leaders were quite astute, such as Prime Minister Richelieu and the Prince of Orange. They preferred to resolve the internal problems of European countries thoroughly, which is why they took advantage of the Ming Empire's strong performance, portraying it as a hypothetical enemy that would bring wealth to all of Europe, and attempting to bridge the existing rifts between nations through a highly profitable war.

The intention was good, and the methods were quite clever; the first half of the operation was practically perfect. However, things fell apart in the latter half, when it came to the real competition. In the end, it all ended in failure; not only did they fail to gain enough benefits, but they also lost most of their investment.

In other words, the Prince of Orange and Prime Minister Richelieu enjoyed high prestige and a firm grip on power in their respective countries, and were deeply trusted by the King and Parliament. Otherwise, they would have been sent to the guillotine before the defeated Allied forces returned.

Even though they escaped unscathed and kept their jobs, they were both exhausted and overwhelmed by the overwhelming questions and the mess they couldn't handle properly.

With the leaders quiet down, the remaining kings who had planned to follow suit for revenge or to take advantage of the situation lost the courage and ability to continue their clamor. They all shrank back and counted on their fingers how much famine they had caused, how many years they would have to tighten their belts, or how many more times they would have to tighten their belts for the people!

In fact, there were even more tragic cases than theirs. On the very night that news of the defeat of the European coalition reached Constantinople, Murad IV died suddenly in Topkapi Palace at the age of 27.

This was the official version of events; in reality, the young sultan died from excessive drinking. Seeing his Janissary Legion's failed assault on Fao Port, suffering heavy casualties, and the Venetian mercenaries being utterly routed in Suez Port, the initial fervor he had displayed when joining the European coalition gradually cooled.

The allied forces had hoped to turn the tide in the north and at Ennau, giving the Ottoman Sultanate a chance to recover. However, they suffered a crushing defeat in the north, with tens of thousands of Russian and Polish troops reduced to almost nothing. Then, the allied fleet made a massive evacuation at Ennau, completely extinguishing any hope of recovery.

At 27, one is at the peak of their life, full of energy and ambition, and most daring to dream and act. To suddenly suffer such a devastating blow, extinguishing all hope, must be an immense mental shock.

Then the sultan drank heavily in the palace all night, eventually drinking himself to death. Although it wasn't suicide, it was essentially the same.

Let's speculate on Murad IV's state of mind at the time. He probably wished he could remain drunk and never wake up, so that he wouldn't have to face a group of greedy nobles and hungry people when dawn broke.

The king is dead, but the country must continue. But Murad IV had no children, nor any brothers; he had killed them all. Who should succeed him?

(End of this chapter)