sultan's crescent

Chapter 9 Welcome to the Ottoman Empire

If the world were a country, the capital must be Istanbul.

— Napoleon Bonaparte

Later generations of travel websites will always quote this sentence from Napoleon when introducing Istanbul.

But does anyone really know how the 18-year-old Napoleon felt when he stepped into Istanbul for the first time at the invitation of the Sultan?

For Napoleon, he had been to two places so far - Corsica and Paris, the gap between the two seems to be from the countryside to the city.

But when he stepped into Istanbul or Constantiniya in the Turkish population, he realized that the scenery in Paris was far inferior to the sunset in the Golden Horn.

Unlike Paris, which is bright and beautiful on the outside, it is actually full of sewage.Istanbul has a perfect drainage system, and the streets are clean and tidy. In this regard, Paris is far inferior.

As for the cultural heritage, great historical cultures such as ancient Greek civilization, Roman civilization, Byzantine civilization, and Ottoman Turkish civilization have all flowed in this city. Therefore, it can be said that the urban construction of Istanbul is a combination of human civilizations. What cannot be copied cannot be described in words.

The most typical representative is architectural art. Opposite Hagia Sophia is the Ahmed Mosque built by the Ottomans, also known as the Blue Mosque, which is the pinnacle of Islamic architecture inherited from the Byzantine architectural style.

The later construction of mosques in Istanbul and Turkey also borrowed and continued the style of the Blue Mosque.And when Napoleon first saw Orthodox and Islamic-style buildings on the same screen, it was different from the words he saw in the book, and the shocking beauty could not be described in words.

Seeing the somewhat absent-minded little man beside him, Selim was overjoyed in his heart.He walked up to Napoleon and patted him on the shoulder: "Dear Napoleon, welcome to the Ottoman Empire."

"Sorry, Your Majesty, I was rude." The little man apologized slightly, "I don't know what you want from me today?"

"That's it. The guard's observation report will be handed in today. I would like to entrust you to help me mark the papers and select some available talents for the empire."

Selim smiled and said, what is the level of the guards, can His Majesty the Sultan not know?This kind of nonsense that requires content but no content, writing without writing, and you expect Mr. Sultan to read it alone is simply wishful thinking.

So, free labor is not in vain, besides, Selim also wants to see how the few good seedlings he valued are in the eyes of Napoleon?As for the other Guards officers?Well, shouldn't this be a long time ago to recognize the fate of running with him?

Selim and Napoleon walked into the marking room, while the candidates outside were thinking about whether they could be selected by the Sultan, and they soared from then on.

"Obviously, His Majesty lacks basic logistical considerations. The cost of one exercise is worth the income of my bakery for several years."

"His Majesty showed extraordinary commanding skills in the exercise. First he drove away the tigers, then delayed the enemy with a small number of troops, and finally stood firm and won the final victory. In this exercise, no matter the timing, Whether it is tactical deployment or strategic arrangement, His Majesty is top-notch."

"In my opinion, Hussein Pasha should be ashamed the most in this battle. Although he successfully defeated His Majesty's outpost, he failed to make further progress. Although he had a heavy army in his hand, he didn't dare to fight the little man. In the end, it was almost won by a Frenchman, but fortunately, His Majesty was brave and brave, and defended the dignity of the Ottoman Empire."

Selim looked at the first answer sheet, he had two big heads, and didn't know what to say.If these people hadn't run a monopoly in Constantiniya, Selim doubted they would have lost all their underwear.

As for the other two copies, either they didn't understand the fart, or they were high-level blacks. Considering the level of the guards, the former is more likely.But, these two people are still flattering the Sultan anyway, so Selim decided to give him a good one, since he doesn't expect them to fight any big battles anyway.

As for the first one, mocking Sudan, young man, you have a tough head, Selim took out his monogram and directly rewarded the other party with a disqualification.

The entire monogram consists of five parts, namely Sere: the name of the Sultan, and honorary titles and the like.For example, Selim is the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, the great caliph, the reflection of Allah in the world, the sword of Allah, etc. It sounds awesome, but in fact, every generation of Sultan has these titles.

Beyze (egg): On the left side of the monogram are two rings, representing the two seas ruled by the empire, the large ring representing the Mediterranean Sea and the small ring representing the Black Sea.

Tug (flagpole): Three vertical stripes in the middle of the monogram, symbolizing the independence of the empire.

Zulfe (wind): The three "S"-shaped curves interlaced with the three bars indicate that the wind blows from east to west, symbolizing the expansion route of the Ottoman Empire.

Hancer (sword): The tail on the right side of the monogram is like a long sword, symbolizing the power and prestige of the Sultan.

Although there are not many names, Selim can’t stand the variety of tricks. Through the choice of monogram color and texture design, Selim is confident that his monogram is not inferior to Suleiman the Magnificent. Mu himself was not lost to Suleiman the Magnificent at all.

While the Sudan was here, Napoleon was surprised by the advanced military thinking of the Ottoman officers. Didn’t everyone say that the Ottoman Guards were a bunch of waste?
Napoleon was very puzzled, especially the two signatures Muhammad Ali and Arendar Mustafa were completely in the tone of a French officer, focusing on the use of cavalry and artillery.

For example, Muhammad Ali talked a little bit about the decision-making of the other three major arms when the cavalry meets the enemy.

"The first is the attack on the enemy's cavalry, usually from all directions, encircling the enemy in a dense horizontal formation of each unit or facing the enemy in a dense horizontal formation of the entire army. General Napoleon used this tactic when he encircled Hussein Pasha, Hussein Pasha's entire army was wiped out.

As for the attack on the enemy's infantry and artillery, if the enemy is in a marching state, it will be deployed according to the number of enemy troops, or overlap, or attack from several directions.When General Napoleon ambushed Hussein Pasha's army for the first time, he chose to attack from several directions. With the support of his own artillery, he quickly broke through the junction of Hussein Pasha's troops, making them unable to look at each other from head to tail. Created conditions for subsequent division and annihilation.

And if the enemy has already entered the position and deployed, for infantry, under normal circumstances, the attack deployment is more than three lines (columns), such as assault artillery, usually above the second line.At this time, the commander must separate the units of the headquarters, so that each unit can be arranged in an overlapping manner according to its horizontal width and depth.Each unit on the front line must overlap and disperse the formations to increase the interval between cavalry and the distance between rows.It was through this method that General Napoleon completed the dispersion of his forces on the one hand, and on the other hand avoided the damage from the artillery fire of His Majesty the Sultan.

When the follow-up cavalry scattered and attacked from all directions, General Napoleon deployed in a wide front.After the second charge of our own infantry, they charged at a smaller interval and distance, further tearing up His Majesty's defense line.

At the same time, General Napoleon arranged for the second line of troops to continue the attack directly behind the front troops, and continued to charge in depth in order to wipe out the remnants of the enemy.

In fact, the reserve team that circled the rear had actually become the assault team that took the lead in attacking, launching a charge from the enemy's back, destroying the artillery formation of His Majesty's troops in the first place, and providing cover for the subsequent attacks of the troops. "

To be honest, this Muhammad Ali's thesis is definitely the most exciting that Napoleon has ever seen. He not only pointed out the tactics he used, but also analyzed every part of the exercise. Napoleon couldn't help feeling: "This Sudan, you really found a treasure."

It took about a morning for the entire review. People such as Ali, Mustafa and others were naturally honorably selected into the first reorganized division of the Guards. At the same time, some officers were drawn from the New Army, and Napoleon was responsible for forming a model guard unit.

As for the others, when they heard the news that the Sultan had finished marking the papers, they saluted the Sultan, and hurried home to cook.

And our Sudanese comrade took Napoleon back to the Topkapi Palace. The two sat in the imperial kitchen, enjoying the delicious food made by the imperial chef. "Has Bonaparte tasted the imperial food?" Selim said. While nibbling on the barbecue in his hand, he asked Napoleon who was also eating in front of him with hands full of oil.

In fact, he knew the answer. After all, Napoleon was sent to the military academy at the age of 10, and later transferred to the Raphael Artillery Regiment. How could he have such an opportunity? But why not try it if you can tease celebrities? Selim’s previous life It's also a piece of fun.

"No, Your Majesty the Sultan, if it wasn't for subsidizing my family, I wouldn't even choose to come to the Ottoman Empire. After all, you are heretics."

Napoleon picked up a piece of barbecue and continued: "But when I arrived here, I realized that the Ottoman Empire is actually different from what the nobles described. You have your own culture, clothing, and food. You are tolerant and allow Orthodox Christians , Jews, and Arabs lived within the empire. In contrast, Louis XIV, who could not even accommodate a Nantes pardon, was simply unworthy of being called the Sun King. For the residents of the empire, Louis XIV has never equally shined on the French kingdom, and my hometown, Corsica, has suffered from the eyes and bullying of the French.”

At this time, Napoleon, under the stimulation of alcohol, seemed to have begun to relax a little bit. He chatted with Selim and criticized current affairs. .

Looking at the slightly drunk Napoleon in front of him, Selim raised his glass and said, "Dear Napoleon Bonaparte, welcome to the Ottoman Empire!"

　Some book friends have created a group, you can post the group number, and I will add it to the introduction.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)