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Prologue [Chapter 854] Target!  Damascus!

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    Target!  Damascus!

    Damascus is the core hinterland of the Ottoman Turkish Empire.

    If you want to trace the history of Damascus, you must at least start from BC.  When people in later generations talk about Central Asia, they will generally remember the Hanging Gardens of Babylon.  Among the four ancient civilizations, Babylon also occupies one of them.  In fact, the history of Damascus is definitely not under Babylon.  It's just not as famous as Babylon.

    In the vast desert, Damascus is an oasis and the source of life.  There is widespread water shortage in West Asia.  Looking around, there are white flowers, gray desert, or Gobi Desert.  However, Damascus is completely different.  Two rivers meet in Damascus, providing a rich source of water.  Throughout the ages, the area around Damascus has been one of the most densely populated areas in Western Asia.

    People in ancient times lived by water, and people in West Asia established towns here very early.  The subsequent Arab Empire, Byzantine Empire, and Ottoman Empire all developed on the basis of Damascus.  It can be said that after Babylon, Damascus is the core of power in West Asia and the most critical support point for rule.

    Before Istanbul was captured, the capital of the Ottoman Turkish Empire was also Damascus.  The place where Suleiman I ascended the throne was in Damascus.  After moving the capital to Istanbul, Damascus still has a complete administrative structure, with a large number of officials staying behind, a large number of religious clergy, and a large number of troops.  This is similar to the situation when Zhu Di moved the capital to Beijing.

    In 1635 AD, the White Army marching west from Iran and the Ottoman Turkish Empire fought fiercely near Baghdad.  In this battle, the White Army dispatched nearly 100,000 people and used a large number of heavy weapons including 155mm howitzers.  The Ottoman Empire dispatched more than half a million elite regular troops and more than two million religious fanatics.  As a result, the Ottoman Imperial Army suffered heavy losses in the face of the powerful firearms of the White Army.  Almost all of the 300,000 Sudanese soldiers, the main force, were lost.

    A large number of religious fanatics also suffered heavy losses under the attack of the White Army.  According to Xu Xingxia's instructions, the only solution to those hopeless religious fanatics is to eliminate them physically.  The white-clad troops on the front line carried out Xu Xingxia's instructions to the letter.  In this process, the servant army from Japan played a very dishonorable role.  In the end, the area near Baghdad was covered with bare land and empty houses.

    But, that doesn¡¯t matter.  In this world, perhaps everything is lacking, but the most indispensable thing is definitely people.  After the local religious fanatics in West Asia were eliminated, a large number of immigrants from other regions quickly filled the local emptiness.  Among them, most of the immigrants come from places such as Tianzhu and Nanyang Islands.  In order to reduce the confrontational forces in various parts of Tianzhu, Xu Xingxia decided to send a large number of Tianzhu religious believers to West Asia.

    ¡°There are only two types of people in this world who are the most fanatical about religion.  One is the Green Sect who believe in the true God, and the other is the Buddhists who believe in the Buddha.  The former is very aggressive.  The latter has very strong vitality.  Xu Xingxia put the two of them together, of course it was out of good intentions.  The White Army has always supported Buddhists and suppressed Green Christians.  As Buddhism entered West Asia, the influence of Green Religion was greatly weakened.

    After the failure of the Battle of Baghdad, most of the Turkish army retreated to the vicinity of Damascus, preparing for a final awakening with the White Army.  The Damascus authorities recruited a large number of believers and claimed to have gathered an army of three million.  Under the appeal of the top leaders of the Ottoman Turkish Empire, fanatics from all over the country are rallying to Damascus.  The White Army conservatively estimates that the number of fanatics who finally gathered in Damascus will be no less than eight million.

    At the same time, reinforcements from Istanbul were also marching to Damascus.  These reinforcements are basically equipped with various firearms donated by Europeans, as well as a considerable number of cannons.  According to the incomplete information currently available, the reinforcements departing from Istanbul are estimated to number around 200,000 people.  Among them, there are 100,000 newly formed Sudanese soldiers.

    In addition, there are a large number of mercenaries from various European countries.  They all came to the Ottoman Empire voluntarily to fight against the White Army.  Among them, there are as many as 50,000 mercenaries from the Kingdom of Sweden.  There are as many as 30,000 mercenaries from the Kingdom of Poland.  There is also the European Knights Templar, which is mainly composed of Germans, and there are also 10,000 people.  Including mercenaries sent sporadically by other countries, the total number may exceed 130,000.

    It can be said that the Battle of Damascus is no longer just a battle between the White Army and the Ottoman Turkish Empire, but a joint effort between Europeans and Turks to deal with the White Army.  In order to prevent the White Army from directly entering Europe, the European powers must find a way to stop the White Army.?In West Asia.  If the White Army captures Istanbul, the Europeans will be in trouble.

    There is news that King Gustav I of Sweden has personally led his army to Istanbul and is preparing to go directly to the front line to command the battle.  There is also news that the Western powers have decided to send more regular armies to West Asia to help.  Even the British, who were thousands of miles away, decided to send 10,000 army troops to Istanbul to participate in the war.  French and Spanish armies will also be dispatched.  Of course, this is unconfirmed news.

    The White Army is gathering its main force near Baghdad, hoarding military supplies, and at the same time dispatching personnel to conduct reconnaissance of the enemy.  For the White Army, defeating the enemy is actually not a problem.  The only problem is to ensure your own logistics supply

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    Although the power of the guns and artillery carried by the White Army is huge and unstoppable, the consumption of ammunition is also quite astonishing.  After a battle, the ammunition consumed is often calculated in "tons".

    After fighting the Ottoman Turkish Empire for more than ten years, the White Army has gradually summarized a set of rules that can effectively control the West Asian region.  The first one is that the local people cannot be trusted.  No matter what kind of face they show, they must not be accepted.  The only way to deal with them is to clean up and completely eliminate them physically.  The White Army has already accomplished this.

    In addition, for the Ottoman Imperial Army, it is best to concentrate on annihilating them rather than letting them disperse.  The climate and environment in West Asia are too harsh. If the enemies are spread out, it will increase the burden on the White Army.  Since the horses of the White Army are generally not adapted to the local climate, the White Army who entered Baghdad are basically infantry.  The Ottoman Turkish army had some cavalry.  Obviously, it is unscientific to use infantry to deal with cavalry.

    After the White Army captured Baghdad, they did not continue to advance, so that the Ottoman Empire's army could gather in Damascus in order to annihilate them in one fell swoop.  For the White Army, the greater the enemy's amassed numbers, the better.  Anyway, when the war started, the White Army used 155mm heavy artillery, 105mm howitzers, 75mm mountain artillery and 60mm mortars to carry out carpet bombing.  No matter how many enemies there are, they are just a pile of corpses.  The city walls of Damascus cannot stop the indiscriminate bombardment of 155mm howitzers.

    It was against this background that Xu Canhuai quietly appeared on the battlefield.

    Xu Canhuai is the son of Xu Xingxia and Wu Yunna.  Xu Xingxia's eldest sons were all born to prairie beauties.  Tessna, Wuyunna, Namuzhong and others are all the first to have sons.  He and his wife, Zhu Yilan, are both daughters.  Zhu Yilan's son is less than ten years old now and is still studying and literacy with He Fengsheng.  However, the sisters are a little older, and the oldest one is already considering getting married.

    Children from grassland ethnic groups are generally more active and find it difficult to sit still.  He also seems to be a bit dull in accepting cultural knowledge.  This is true for both Xu Canxu and Xu Canhuai.  Their reading talent can only be described as average, and they can barely read.  As for the talent for writing articles, that is absolutely non-existent.  Even He Fengsheng, known as the great Confucian of our time, was helpless to them and let them go their own way.  They are lively and active people who all hope to go to the front line and live a life of iron and blood.

    Since the children have such a wish, Xu Xingxia will naturally not refuse.  Since you don't have the talent for reading, then go to the battlefield and make a career.  Perhaps, they might be able to create some merit on the battlefield.  So, after some secret arrangements, Xu Xingxia's older sons all went to the battlefield one after another.

    Xu Canhuai arrived at the Basra port by boat, and then walked with the logistics troops to the Baghdad military base to report.  Before that, he had only received three months of training in the White Army's recruit training camp.  It can be said that apart from the knowledge he heard from other people, his understanding of the battlefield was only the three months of basic subjects in the boot camp.  Therefore, I am a bit naive from the south and always think the battlefield is fun.

    As a result, Xu Canhuai began to regret it as soon as he walked out of Basra.  Obviously, the battlefield was not as intense as imagined.  More often than not, the battlefield is torture, pain, exhaustion, pain, and life is worse than death.  Objectively speaking, the first time I set foot on the battlefield, the harsh environment in West Asia was indeed quite challenging.  Not to mention fighting, just fighting against the local climate and environment is already strenuous enough.

    "You haven't seen me, but Mao Shisan, Gao Jie and others who are responsible for leading the white army to fight all the way to the west are now all dressed in black.  More than ten years ago, they were all handsome young men.  However, more than ten years have passed, and they have almost all changed.  All of this is caused by the harsh environment in West Asia.  Fortunately, their wives are both female priests from the Three Kingdoms of the Western Regions.Also accept their changes.

    Li Zicheng, Zhang Xianzhong and others have accumulated merit and become battalion commanders. They can be regarded as senior officers.  It's a pity that now they are also wrapped in robes and covered with black scarves.  It is said that Li Zicheng once participated in a blind date conference and was despised by a group of girls.  The reason is simple, he is too dark.  As for Zhang Xianzhong, he didn't dare to go on a blind date at all.  Therefore, the two have not yet resolved their marriage matters.

    Of course, there is no need to worry about their physical problems.  They have many beautiful women.  There are all kinds of goods.  The white-clothed army fought all the way, captured cities and territories, ransacked homes and wiped out households. Don't capture too many beauties.  As early as the fall of the Three Kingdoms in the Western Region, many beautiful and elegant female priests were given to them to enjoy, but they never had the official title of wives.  Probably because of this, they simply didn't bother to officially get married.

    ¡­¡­

    When Xu Canhuai reported to Mao Shisan, Mao Shisan and Gao Jie were thinking about the battle plan.

    During the Western Expedition, the White Army has always implemented the leadership system of two giants.  Mao Shisan and Gao Jie have equal rights and obligations, and there is no mutual reporting relationship.  The purpose of this is of course to make the two compete with each other and speed up the Western Expedition.  In fact, this leadership system works really well.  Mao Shisan and Gao Jie are both guys who are unwilling to be inferior to others.  As long as they have the opportunity, they will use their full skills to create military exploits.

    This attack on Damascus is another invisible competition.  Both Mao Shisan and Gao Jie hope that their troops can be the first to enter.  Along the way, they have captured too many famous cities.  Right now, there are only two famous cities in West Asia left.  One is Damascus and the other is Istanbul.  Of course they are secretly competing with each other.

    South of Damascus is the famous Golan Heights in later generations. The terrain is complex and the mountain roads are rugged, making it unsuitable for large troop movements.  If the White Army attacks from this aspect, it will not be able to fully deploy its forces and will easily be ambushed and suffer losses.  To the east of Damascus, there is a swamp that cannot be passed by light troops, let alone heavy artillery troops.

    The best way to capture Damascus is of course to cover it up from the north.

    The north of Damascus is a relatively flat wilderness.  The defenders have no chance of defending in this regard.  As the attacker, the White Army can let go of their hands and feet, deploy all their forces, pull out all their heavy weapons, and advance in a mighty manner.

    After some research, the White Army focused their attention on a town called Aleppo.  Aleppo is located north of Damascus and is also a large city with a long history.  Its status in the Ottoman Turkish Empire is second only to ancient cities such as Istanbul, Damascus, and Baghdad. Its strategic location is very important.

    Judging from the current intelligence available, the Ottoman Turkish Empire¡¯s defense force in Aleppo is also quite strong.  In addition to more than 100,000 regular troops, there were at least 500,000 fanatics.  It is said that tunnels were dug in the city in preparation for a protracted battle with the White Army.  If the city wall is breached by the White Army, the defenders will hide in the tunnels and continue fighting.  The surrounding areas of Aleppo were also fortified and cleared to prevent the White Army from obtaining any useful supplies.

    At first glance, it seems that Aleppo¡¯s defense strength is not as strong as Damascus.  One hundred thousand regular troops and half a million fanatics are no match for the White Army.  Not to mention the attacking strength of the White Army, which was as high as 100,000, even only 10,000 or 20,000 people could clean up the Aleppo defenders.  However, if you think about it carefully, you will feel that Aleppo is more difficult to deal with than Damascus, and it requires careful consideration before taking action.

    Because Damascus itself is basically a dead city with not much room for movement.  It is no longer possible for the defenders of Damascus to escape from the clutches of the White Army.  What awaits them is the difference between early death and late death.  No matter what, they are going to die.  Even if the true god really comes, he can't save them.

    The Ottoman army coming for reinforcements from Istanbul had to pass through Aleppo before reaching Damascus.  At the same time, if the Damascus army retreats, it will also have to pass through Aleppo.  The White Army's control of Aleppo is equivalent to completely separating Istanbul and Damascus.  Everyone in Damascus will become a turtle in a urn.

    "However, the defenders of Aleppo are quite flexible and they still have a chance to escape.  The purpose of the White Army is of course not as simple as taking Aleppo. The larger purpose is to eliminate the enemy's effective strength.  If the defenders of Aleppo are allowed to escape, this goal will not be achieved.  We must find a way to capture all the defenders of Aleppo.  Of course, it would be better if all the reinforcements coming from Istanbul could be caught.

    ¡­¡­

    ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? 1636 ADIn September, when the spring cold began, the white army began to attack.

    The first to take action was the first battalion of the Leopard Cavalry.  They moved in combat formation towards the north of Aleppo, with the goal of cutting off the connection between Aleppo and Istanbul.  The leader of the first battalion was none other than Li Zicheng.  After receiving the order, he set off immediately.

    There are a total of five infantry battalions under the Leopard Cavalry Army.  The strength of each infantry battalion is between 8,000 and 10,000.  Each infantry battalion is equipped with a large number of mortars.  Therefore, only one battalion was needed to block reinforcements from Istanbul.  Of course, they will also be supported by artillery battalions when necessary.  The military artillery battalion is equipped with 75mm and 105mm howitzers, which are more powerful than mortars.

    As a clerk, Xu Canhuai naturally does not need to be on the front line.  Mao Shisan also did not advise Xu Canhuai to run to the front line.  After all, his identity is somewhat special and cannot be treated as an ordinary person.  However, if he wanted to go ahead and experience it for himself, no one would stop him.  Xu Xingxia has already said that young people must experience the bloody battlefield.

    Xu Canhuai's courage is not innate, and he does not dare to rush to the front line and fight the enemy single-handedly.  Therefore, he chose to follow the large army.  The position assigned by Mao Shisan to Xu Canhuai was a clerk in the legion, a position that was even more relaxed than that of a staff officer.  As for Xu Xingxia's son, you can't really use him as a combatant.  The battlefield is surrounded by dangers. If Xu Canhuai accidentally dies, he will not be able to report to Xu Xingxia.

    As a document, Xu Canhuai¡¯s standard weapon is a shell gun with three magazines and a total of sixty rounds of ammunition.  For self-defense, it's enough.  However, it is not enough if you go to the front line.  Therefore, Xu Canhuai received another submachine gun and three magazines, totaling ninety rounds of ammunition.  Later, he received four more grenades.

    Xu Canhuai followed the first squadron of the first squadron of the first battalion of the Leopard Cavalry.  This team is an elite unit of the Leopard Cavalry, and its equipment is all equipped with submachine guns.  To transport ammunition and other military supplies, they were also equipped with five camels.

    After the White Army took control of Baghdad, the logistics problem was greatly solved.  Basra Port originally had good unloading equipment.  After the transformation by the White Army, the unloading capacity is stronger.  As a result, shiploads of ammunition were unloaded at the port of Basra, and then sent by land to the White Army base camp in Baghdad.

    Of course, unlimited squandering is still prohibited.  Hunting, fishing and other activities that waste ammunition are strictly prohibited.  Every piece of ammunition must be used in battle.  However, there is only the bare desert Gobi Desert in West Asia, and there is no prey, let alone fish.  Therefore, this rule is basically unnecessary to implement.

    The group set out from Baghdad and arrived in Deir ez-Zor five days later.  The place was already controlled by a battalion of the Mastiff Cavalry.  There are also five battalions under the Mastiff Cavalry.  They had already set off before the Leopard Cavalry set off.  They got ahead of the Leopard Cavalry and captured Deir ez-Zor.  So, Xu Canhuai and the others replenished water and food here and continued moving forward.

    After Deir ez-Zor, there is a war zone. Enemies will appear at any time, so you must be careful.  Lei Hu and others are very experienced in combat.  Most of his team are veterans.  Only Xu Canhuai can be considered a recruit.  Therefore, Xu Canhuai's position is basically in the middle of the army.  Outside him, they are all veterans.

    This afternoon, I don¡¯t know where I walked. The surroundings were bare and there was no vegetation.  In this environment, it is impossible to judge one's position.  They could only roughly estimate that it was not far from Aleppo.

    While walking, he suddenly felt the need to urinate, so Xu Canhuai walked aside to relieve himself.  Halfway through urinating, suddenly, there was the sound of rapid horse hooves in front of him, followed by a dozen cavalrymen appearing quickly.  They discovered the white-coated army, and immediately waved their scimitars and rushed towards the white-coated army.  Xu Canhuai's whole body was filled with excitement. He didn't even bother to pull up his pants and subconsciously held the submachine gun in his hand.  After three months of basic training, this movement is what I am most familiar with.

    "Sipaxi Cavalry! Be careful!" Lei Hu shouted sharply.

    The so-called Sipaxi Cavalry is another elite force of the Ottoman Empire.  They do not receive salary and do not have a very formal establishment.  They depended on each landowning family for their existence.  In terms of nature, they are a bit like the armed servants before the Ming Empire.  Their allegiance is to the landlords who support them, not to the country.

    The Sipaxi cavalry is composed of private soldiers of the landowners. Therefore, their training and equipment are the responsibility of each landowner and powerful person.  In order to expand their power, the landowners and powerful people will try their best to increase their combat effectiveness.  Therefore, relatively speaking, the combat effectiveness of the Sipaxi cavalry is relatively strong.

      However, it is precisely because the composition of the Sipaxi cavalry is relatively complex and they are only loyal to their masters and not to the country. Therefore, the senior leaders of the Ottoman Turkish Empire generally will not use them easily.  In the previous battle of Baghdad, the Ottoman Empire did not use them.  But now, of course, it's a different story.

    After the White Army entered the hinterland of the Ottoman Turkish Empire, their main opponent was the Sipaxi cavalry.  Because the land owned by their master was taken away by the white army.  No matter who it is, if their fundamental interests are robbed, they will never give up.  Therefore, from top to bottom, the Sipaxi cavalry hated the white army with hatred, and their hatred was as deep as the sea.

    Along the way west, the White Army had countless encounters with the Sipaxi cavalry and killed many Sipaxi cavalry.  Almost every day, Sipaxi cavalry appeared in front of the White Army and were then killed by the White Army.  However, Sipaxi cavalrymen dressed in black and wearing ugly masks are still emerging in a steady stream.

    "Da da da!"

    "Da da da!"

    Xu Canhuai hurriedly raised his submachine gun and fired wildly at the Xipaxi cavalry who rushed up.  When one magazine is finished, another magazine is immediately replaced until all three magazines are finished.  He only stayed in the boot camp for three months and basically did not have much training in shooting skills.  This time I suddenly encountered the enemy again, and I felt a little panicked.  In this round of shooting, even he himself didn't know where the bullets went.

    Fortunately, the other soldiers in the White Army are very experienced in combat.  After the Sipaxi cavalry appeared, they quickly formed a circular shooting formation and killed the enemy with short bursts of fire.  Under their shooting, the Sipaxi cavalry quickly fell.  There are sixty people in the white army's squad, and there are only a dozen or so Sipaxi cavalry, so they are naturally no match.

    Xu Canhuai was secretly glad that he brought an extra submachine gun with him when he went out, otherwise, he would probably be doomed.  The shell gun can only deal with infantry, and it is too difficult to deal with cavalry.  Even, basically can be ignored.  The best way to deal with cavalry is the submachine gun.  On the cruel battlefield, no enemy would be soft on him just because he was Xu Xingxia's son.  Even if the clicking sound of gunfire only serves to embolden people, it is still good.

    The only flaw of the submachine gun is that it consumes too many bullets.  Because when a person is in a nervous situation and shoots at the cavalry, he must pull the trigger to the end.  In a short time, all thirty rounds of bullets were fired.  No, all three of his magazines were empty.  Looking back, it was so embarrassing.

    After experiencing a real battle, Xu Canhuai couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief.  He finally felt exactly what war was like.  This is no joke, and it is not as romantic and unrestrained as others say.

    Fighting will kill people.  Either you die or I die.  If he is rushed in front of the Sipaxi cavalry, the consequences can be imagined.  The sharp scimitar of the Sipaxi cavalry will definitely chop off his head easily.

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