Rise of the 1630s South America

Chapter 2358 Little Brother and Boss

January 1698, 11, early morning.

The sun hangs in the sky like a dark red fireball, without any warmth.There was silence in the wilderness, and the occasional neighing of horses added to the sense of emptiness.The once raging waves seemed to have been given a body-holding spell, freezing their ferocious and violent posture, silently telling people about the harsh weather.

There are still a few wisps of mist remaining in the sky and the earth, making it difficult to see clearly.The wheat fields were empty except for stray stalks.At this time, a horse team slowly came over.

"Stop moving forward!" A shout sounded like thunder.Afterwards, a few soldiers rushed out of the barracks with bayonet-tipped rifles in their hands, and looked at the horse team suspiciously.

The horse team stopped.A man wearing a fur cap and a long robe dismounted and came over, and said in unproficient Chinese: "Guards, we are the envoys of the Great Khan of Grai, and we are going to Haji to meet General Wu. This is our identity." certified documents."

The leading non-commissioned officer carried his rifle on his back, and then took a look at the document: Well, I don't even know it, what kind of text is this?So, he looked suspiciously at the person again.He didn't suspect that they were enemies. There were no enemies on the east coast of the Crimea Peninsula. He suspected that these people might be smugglers, using such a lame excuse to evade taxes.After all, diplomatic missions are exempt from taxes, and there are enough businessmen willing to come to Haji County for trade, so it must be guarded against.

However, just as he was about to order a search, a second lieutenant walked over from behind.He first whispered a few words in the non-commissioned officer's ear, then took the document and read it carefully, and asked a few more questions. After all the key points were matched, he waved his hand and ordered the release.However, before the release, according to the regulations, the weapons of the horse team were temporarily confiscated, stored in the checkpoint barracks, and returned when they left.The Crimeans did not refuse, and complied one by one.

"It's indeed Grail Khan's subordinates. They have encountered trouble recently, and they are eager to find a solution to us. There have been two groups of envoys before, and your squad just came here after changing defenses, so it is not very clear." Wearing a military coat The second lieutenant looked at the slowly advancing horse team and explained softly.

In fact, this second lieutenant of extraordinary background knew something.Moreover, when attending a meeting at the Garrison Headquarters last week, Commander Wu Yiqun distributed the latest information on the Austrian-Turkish War, which involved the Crimean Khanate.

To put it simply, in one sentence, the Ottomans had many internal conflicts, and the outside world suffered another defeat after the Austrians brought back the elite main force from the Western Front.According to internal information, the Ottoman Empire had to cede part of its land in exchange for a breathing space.Among the ceded lands, there is a high probability that Western Ukraine will be "returned" to the Poles, but unfortunately, Western Ukraine is currently under the "management" of the Crimean Khanate, and they seem There is no intention of giving up this vast land, even though there are more than 100 million Christians living there.

According to the original intention of the Crimeans, they are absolutely unwilling to give up Western Ukraine. Over the years of "trusteeship", they have not invested a single penny in the construction of Western Ukraine, but they have collected a lot of exorbitant taxes from there every year.Even if this part of the money has to be distributed to the Turks, the rest is still quite considerable, which is a great supplement to the Khanate's finances.You know, they now have a lot of new troops, and these are standing troops.With the Crimean Khanate, a nomadic force that is transforming into an agricultural country, it is definitely a heavy burden to raise new troops. At this time, once the cow in West Ukraine is missing, the financial deficit will be too great.

It is not that they did not send people to Istanbul to lobby, but the results are not very optimistic.The Turks lost miserably this time and had to cede large tracts of land, including half of Hungary (except for a few strategically important areas), most of Transylvania, and Western Ukraine.In addition, they also let go of the part of the Dalmatian coast that was disputed with the Venetians before, and no longer entangled - at this time, they have to admire the shrewdness of the Italians, although the people on the east coast mediate and let The Venetians did not follow up and beat the dog in the water, but they would not be left behind when they took the opportunity to blackmail some benefits.

In addition, the Crimean Tatars do not understand the repeated defeats of the suzerain Ottoman, and they can even be said to be a little contemptuous. They feel that their old empire is not as good at fighting as it was decades ago, and the signs of weakness are very obvious.The people of the grasslands have always respected their strength. If the boss fails, he will naturally be questioned or even retaliated by his younger brother. What's more, the boss is currently planning to sacrifice his younger brother's interests in exchange for his own survival.

At this time, many upper echelons of the Crimean Khanate could not help but compare Turkey with the east coast.As a result, they found that the people on the east bank seemed to be much stronger than their suzerain Ottoman Turkey.They have amazing warships, powerful artillery, well-trained soldiers, and of course the most important thing, they are rich, much richer than Turkey.That is to say, the land of the East Coast Republic is not near the Black Sea, but a distant new continent. Otherwise, the Crimeans may change their bosses.

Don't blame the Crimean people for being so obsessed with Qin Muchu. It's really that the performance of the boss has not been satisfactory over the years, and the younger brother does have two brushes.Just like the many wars with the Poles, the Cossacks, and the Russians, the infantry brigade sent by the Ottoman Empire was still able to fight, and it withstood the enemy's repeated attacks without breaking up. Whenever the battle is fierce and the two sides are at a stalemate, it is always the sturdy and nimble Crimean cavalry who play the decisive role.

So they really are a reason to be proud!Especially after the Russian princess Sophia defeated the Russians twice alone, their confidence inflated even more.If it weren't for Russia's national power being much stronger than Crimea's and the pressure too great, they might have even stepped forward to make trouble—you think the Turks have been occupying the cities of Kaffa, Sudak, and Asia on the northern shore of the Black Sea. Wait a minute, aren't the Crimeans indifferent?

"The Turks are really terrible. The main Ganishari army has become more and more unable to support the wall over the years. It feels inferior to those local armies. It is normal that they cannot beat the Austrians." Seeing that the non-commissioned officer still didn't understand, the second lieutenant explained Said: "You have also seen the Turkish army. The size of the Ganishari Army is now many times larger than before. After several times of rebellion, the officers and soldiers of the army now have great rights. Not only have their salaries increased, but they have also obtained marriage rights. The right to have children. Look at how many uneducated legionnaires have used their connections to get paid in the past few decades. These people have not received systematic training and cannot be regarded as qualified soldiers at all. And they are very corrupt , Corruption is prevalent, we sell so many weapons to Turkey, how many of them will eventually be distributed to those who really need them? Humph, a small Turkish military officer can marry several wives and have a lot of children, and The standard of living is not bad, where do they get the money? This kind of army is simply a shame for the country! With them, no matter how much money we lend to the Turks, no matter how many weapons we sell, no matter how much we train the army, in the end The role played is very limited. So, why is it surprising that they lost to the Austrians on the battlefield and lost their troops again and again?"

The sergeant nodded silently.It is an indisputable fact that the strength of the Turkish army has been in decline for a century.Now, they have little chance of winning against the Austrians, and they can fight against the relatively backward Russians and Poles.But the problem is that the strength of the Russian army has been growing, and the Kingdom of Poland seems to have recovered after August took office. If the Turkish army is so weakened, it may not even be able to beat the Russians and Poles in the future. Are you just a sick man?

"The Turks don't live up to expectations, but they are an important fulcrum for us to intervene in the situation in the Black Sea. Alas, this matter is a bit difficult." The second lieutenant said with a sigh.

In fact, sometimes he even hoped that the main force of the east coast could send 1-2 mixed regiments to the Black Sea to combat the arrogance of the Austrians.If possible, even the Poles and Russians would fight together, so that they don't know the heights of the sky and the earth, and always think that they are so powerful.But he also knew that this could only be a delusion. The southern New World was far away from the European continent, and the risks and costs of transporting troops by sea over long distances were high. Who should bear the cost?It is estimated that only when the Ottoman Empire reached its most critical moment, people on the east coast would consider directly sending troops to intervene. What a pity.

The Turks, as well as the Crimean Tatar cavalry and the Oirat Mongolian cavalry, which seem to be very beautiful now, are all traditional troops in the form of the Middle Ages-even if they are equipped with modern weapons, their core is still old-fashioned-in this ever-changing In this world, they will slowly become obsolete and eventually be eliminated. Unless the East Coast government intervenes and deeply interferes with the local situation, this is almost certain.

Fortunately, thanks to the uninterrupted efforts of the Crimean Khanate on the east coast for many years, the military reform has been quite effective.They have now established a new army directly under the Great Khan himself, and their combat effectiveness is still good.Moreover, every aspect of this country is also undergoing reforms, and it no longer looks like a crude nomadic country.Their capital, Baekchisalay, now houses the Capitol, surrounded by government agencies such as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of War, the Ministry of Agriculture, the Ministry of Commerce, and the Ministry of Finance. training.Although the conservative forces in the country still have the upper hand, the reform forces have been expanding their influence. The future is not hopeless at present.

Another lucky thing is that their enemies, Poland and Russia, also have a lot of troubles themselves.I heard that a joint opposition to Sweden is brewing recently, and the probability of a big war is very high.Therefore, the Crimeans still have time!What's more, once there is a dispute over the succession of the Spanish throne, and then a war breaks out, the army on the east coast will inevitably develop Europe on a large scale.At that time, it is not impossible to transfer one or two main forces to the Black Sea to show off their power and fight a few unsightly forces. I believe this is also a good thing for the Crimean Khanate.

I went to Sichuan for a business trip today.Departing at 8:[-], the subway, plane, subway, train, bus, minibus, and Old Tou Le did not arrive at the destination until [-]:[-] p.m., exhausted.

(End of this chapter)