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Prologue [Chapter 863] Attack Marseille and Toulon!

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    Attack Marseille and Toulon!

    (0863)

    As the opponent, the White Army Army has a total strength of only 100,000, which is less than one-eighth of the Istanbul coalition army.  However, they had powerful artillery and overwhelming naval superiority. The Istanbul defenders had no chance to fight back.  In fact, there is no need for the White Army Army to come ashore at all. The blockade of the White Army Navy warships alone can make Istanbul slowly wither.  At first, the Ottomans used a siege method to capture Constantinople and then renamed it Istanbul.

    In the previous shelling, the casualties of the European coalition forces were very heavy.  They had finally experienced the power of the White Army's artillery fire.  Similarly, the casualties of the Ottoman Turkish Imperial Army itself were also quite heavy.  It can be said that if the White Army lands in large numbers at this time, they will have no ability to resist.  However, Istanbul is their last hope and their last territory.  Even if they knew they had no ability to resist, they still had to make the final resistance here.

    During the meeting, King Gustaf of Sweden looked around and found that the Italians and Spaniards were absent.  It seems that the situation is not very good.  The Italians were absent from this meeting because they were worried that the White Army would land in Rome.  Before Istanbul fell, they couldn't wait to go back and deploy Rome's defenses.

    By the way, during the Roman Empire, the Italians were extremely glorious.  The Holy Roman Empire, the Eastern Roman Empire, and the Western Roman Empire are all famous names.  There is no doubt about the combat effectiveness of the ancient Roman army.  When the Roman Empire was at its most powerful, its territory spanned three continents: Europe, Asia, and Africa.  But now, they are very weak.

    This time the Western powers sent troops to reinforce Istanbul, but Italy sent less than 3,000 troops.  The army was led by an old colonel, and not even a general was dispatched.  And the combat effectiveness of these three thousand Italian troops is also amazing.  The positions garrisoned by the Italian army were basically never defended.

    Due to the bizarre performance of the Italian army, the top leaders of the Ottoman Turkish Empire were dumbfounded.  They had no choice but to put the Italian army at the back, purely for retirement purposes.  In the words of the King of Sweden, even if you take a piss, you can't keep the Italians standing guard.  Because, maybe the enemy will rush up at the moment of peeing.  And the Italians, they will definitely run faster than rabbits.

    Also absent from the meeting were Spaniards.

    The Spaniards, like the Italians, have too much to take care of themselves.

    When the white-coated troops stationed troops in the Mediterranean, the people who were most intimidated were naturally the Spanish.  Who told them to be closest to the White Army?  Who told them to be in such a prominent position on the Iberian Peninsula?  Who told them to be closest to the Strait of Gibraltar?  More importantly, who calls Spain looking the best to bully at this time?

    The Strait of Gibraltar has been snatched away by the White Army.  This is absolutely bad news for the Spaniards.  The white army and navy were operating under the eyes of the Spaniards, and both sides were within easy reach.  Who can guarantee that the White Army will not sweep across Spain in the next step?  For a time, Spain was in turmoil and mourning was everywhere.  People along the coast are dragging their families with them and moving inland as much as possible.

    For places like Europe, coastal areas are always the most densely populated and the most economically active.  In the later period of the Age of Discovery, cities and ports in coastal areas were also the most prosperous in maritime trade.  A lot of wealth comes from the sea.  However, the appearance of the White Navy warships caused all the ports and cities along the Mediterranean coast to become desolate, and no merchant ships could be seen at all.

    For the security of the country, King Philip IV of Spain had to resort to violence and formed an additional 300,000 armed forces.  Including the original Spanish army, Spain had a total of more than 800,000 troops.  The number of such troops is not small.  For a small Spain, an army of 800,000 is definitely the limit of human resources.

    However, facing the cannons and ships of the White Army Navy and the fierce artillery fire of the White Army Army, the Spanish army did not have much confidence.  All previous battles seemed to have fully demonstrated that in front of the White Army, the numerical advantage was completely negligible.  An army of 800,000 people may not be the opponent of 8,000 white-clothed troops.

    For his own safety, Philip IV has always advocated that the European coalition forces should not enter Istanbul, but should concentrate their efforts on the Iberian Peninsula (Spain) and the Apennine Peninsula (Italy) to prevent the White Army's marines from landing.  In his view, the Iberian Peninsula and the Apennine Peninsula are much more dangerous than Istanbul.

    ??Philip IV firmly believed that if the White Army wanted to attack Europe, it would attack from Italy and Spain.  Because the defense forces in these two places are the weakest.  If the White Army really landed in these two places, the Spanish army and the Italian army would not be a match for the menacing White Army.

    In addition to the Iberian and Apennine peninsulas, Philip IV also reminded the French of their Marseilles and Toulon.  These two places are also the most vulnerable targets to be attacked by the White Army.  Marseille is the largest port in France and can accommodate giant ships of 10,000 tons.  Toulon is the largest military port in France and has relatively complete military facilities.  This is very attractive to the White Army.  It is very likely that the White Army will suddenly attack these two places.

    It¡¯s a pity that no one else paid attention to Philip IV¡¯s warning.  Their attention was drawn to Istanbul.  They are bent on preventing the White Coats from entering Europe.  They once ignored the existence of the White Army Navy.  By the time they remembered Philip IV's warning, the European coalition forces had already suffered heavy losses.

    The three-day military meeting produced no results and no agreement was reached.  None of the participants at the meeting could come up with an effective solution to the current situation.  In the face of absolute power, any strategy is so feeble.  In the end, the high-level meeting reluctantly made the decision to evacuate Istanbul.  This meant that they abandoned the Ottoman Empire.  The last straw for the Ottoman Empire came like this.

    In July 1637 AD, the European coalition forces quietly withdrew from Istanbul.  The main members of the Ottoman Empire's royal family fled to distant Paris, France.  The remaining defenders dispersed in a hurry.  Subsequently, the White Army officially occupied this ancient city.  This meant that the Ottoman Turkish Empire was officially destroyed.  The Green Sect is also gradually declining.

    In August 1637 AD, Xu Xingxia wrote to the frontline headquarters of the White Army, suggesting that Istanbul be renamed White Rock City.  It is said that after repeated bombardments by the White Army's fierce artillery fire, Istanbul was left with countless white ruins.  In the middle of the white ruins, there are only a lot of white stones left.  As a result, the name Istanbul gradually disappeared into the long river of history with the passage of time.

    ¡­¡­

    The Spaniards¡¯ concerns are not completely unreasonable.  In fact, while attacking Istanbul, the White Army has already set its sights on Spain and Italy.  They once suggested taking down Spain and Italy as much as possible.  Because, from the perspective of logistical support, both Italy and Spain are more suitable for launching attacks.

    But, later, the situation changed.  As the white-coated navy becomes domineering and unscrupulous in the Mediterranean, there are more and more areas that can be directly attacked, and more and more targets can be selected.  Spain and Italy were put aside for the time being.  At the end of 1637 AD, the White Army selected three targets for attack.  The first choice is Marseille in France.  Followed by Barcelona in Spain and Genoa in Italy.

    Prior to this, all the islands in the Mediterranean had been controlled by the navy of the White Army.  Including Sardinia under Italy, Corsica under France, Mallorca under Spain and other places.  The navies of the countries along the Mediterranean Sea have all been wiped out by the navy of the White Army.  There are no hostile ships in sight in the Mediterranean now.

    The reason why Marseille was selected as the primary target of attack by the White Army is mainly because it is the largest port on the Mediterranean coast and has very good natural conditions.  According to intelligence, Marseille can berth more than thirty large ships at the same time.  After expansion, more than two hundred large ships can be berthed at the same time.  This is indeed very attractive to the navy in white.  They needed the port as a naval base.

    And, Marseille and Toulon are very close.  If Marseille is a purely commercial port, then Toulon is a purely military port.  Toulon was originally the naval base of the French Mediterranean Fleet, and its natural conditions are also very good.  After simple expansion, more than a hundred large warships can be docked.  The white army and navy really like this place.

    From the perspective of the White Army Army, controlling Marseille and Toulon also has many benefits.  Because, after landing in Marseille and Toulon, they can launch attacks in multiple directions without worrying about insufficient logistical supplies.

    Starting from Marseille, on the contrary, you can attack Paris.  To the east, Italy can be attacked.  To the southwest, Spain can be attacked.  In other words, once the white-coated army lands in Marseille, it is equivalent to having wings and flying wherever they want.

    Marseille is only four thousand miles away from Paris, with almost no obstacles in between.  The White Army will attack and advance all the way. If everything goes well, they will be able to reach Paris in a few months.  Once the White Army captures Paris, the fall of Europe will be just around the corner.

      In the end, senior officials from the navy and army in white coordinated in Sardinia.  Present at the meeting were Chen Duohai, First Deputy Commander of the White Army Navy, and Chi Hu, Deputy Minister of Military Affairs of the White Army.  The coordination meeting unanimously decided to list Marseille and Toulon as the primary targets of attack.  As the combat plan unfolded, the mobilization of various units of the White Army became more and more frequent.

    The troops of Gao Jie and Mao Shisan are continuing to advance westward from Istanbul.  Their troops cannot be mobilized for the time being.  Therefore, the troops stationed in Tianzhu were dispatched by the White Army.  At the end of 1937 AD, Chi Hu and Zhang Quanfu led their respective troops to board ships from various ports in Tianzhu and headed for the Mediterranean.

    In the spring of 1638 AD, the signs of the White Army¡¯s landing became more and more obvious.  White-coated soldiers in large ships often arrive at various islands in the Mediterranean.  They gathered on islands one by one to conduct basic landing training.  The warships of the White Army Navy have been operating around Marseille and Toulon for longer and longer periods of time.

    In the face of absolute strength, the White Army had no intention of concealing its military operations.  While preparing to attack Marseille and Toulon, they also launched tentative attacks on ports such as Barcelona in Spain and Genoa in Italy.  In fact, the white army navy has sufficient strength to capture these three ports at the same time.  Unfortunately, due to limitations in logistics and transportation, the White Army Army does not have this capability for the time being.

    There was no other way. Spain, France, and Italy had no choice but to mobilize their troops to coastal areas for strict defense.  At the same time, coalition forces from other countries also entered ports such as Marseille, Barcelona, ??and Genoa to assist local defenders in joint defense.  This time, the white-clothed army really came to their doorstep, and they had no choice but to fight hard.

    The European Allied Forces once again set up a general headquarters in Paris to command the armies of European countries to jointly deal with the attack of the White Army.  This time, even the armies of the Netherlands, Britain, Ireland, Norway and other countries were mobilized.  European countries once again carried out general mobilization for war and increased their troops.  In the end, the European Allied Forces finally exceeded one million people.

    On April 1, 1638 AD, the white army stormed Marseille.  On this day, the white-coated navy gathered hundreds of warships and launched the most violent bombardment against Marseille and Toulon at the same time.  The sky was full of artillery fire, completely shrouding these two cities in smoke.  Xu Canxu looked through the telescope and could hardly see any complete buildings.

    Three consecutive days and nights of shelling basically razed the two cities of Marseille and Toulon to the ground.  There are ruins everywhere and broken walls everywhere.  All the defenders were either killed or retreated in a hurry.

    Under the fierce artillery fire of the white-coated navy, the French garrison had to temporarily evacuate the two cities in order to avoid losses.  As a result, the white-coated marines successfully landed in Marseille.  Subsequently, the white-coated troops commanded by Chi Hu came ashore to take over the defense of the Marine Corps.  In Toulon, the White Army commanded by Zhang Quanfu also successfully succeeded the Marine Corps.

    A large number of transport ships swarmed at the ports of Marseille and Toulon, transporting all kinds of military equipment ashore.  Among them, the most important is naturally the 105mm howitzer.  This medium-caliber howitzer is not as bulky as a 155mm-caliber howitzer, and is more powerful than a 75mm-caliber field gun. It is most suitable for maritime transportation.

    !#

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