The Crescent of the Sultan

Five months have passed since meeting Napoleon, and Constantiniya has also transitioned from the cold and chilling winter to summer. Anna has returned to Oxford University at the end of February to continue studying for her music degree. ₆₉ₛₕᵤₓ.cₒₘ

Considering that the Russo-Turkish war was about to start in August this year, Selim wrote to Sophia specifically and asked her to take care of the girl during the summer vacation.

By the way, Sofia also replied with a very interesting letter: "Dear Selim, I learned from Anna that the summer in Istanbul is very hot. Maybe the weather in London is more suitable for you, and Buckingham Palace is redundant. Of course, the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh is also open to you.

your faithful sophia

The little girl is quite arrogant. She wants to see her by herself, but she refuses to say so.

However, Selim is destined to have no time. The Russo-Turkish war is about to start. Not to mention there are many things to deal with. Even if all 007s under his command work overtime and try their best to share the worries of Sudan, Selim will never do it. He would not leave Constantiniya and the power center of the empire at this time, so Sophia's little idea was destined to fail.

"Paul, are General Bonaparte, Hassan Pasha, Hassan Pasha, Yusuf Pasha, Ali Pasha and the Grand Mufti here? Bring them in." Before he finished speaking, everyone had left. Come in, their trip is just to discuss the battle plan against Russia.

"Everyone, I have decided to declare war on Russia on August 8th. The entire war against Russia is divided into three theaters, namely the Serbian Theater, the Romanian Theater, and the Caucasus Theater. Considering that the Austrians are likely to intervene, I will personally sit in the Serbian Theater for preparedness. . And General Napoleon will be stationed in the Romanian theater, with Hassan as his deputy, to face the Russian army head-on. The Caucasus area will focus on defense, and will be handed over to Ali Pasha, the commander-in-chief of the Guards."

Selim said seriously: "Please note that the purpose of this war is not to take back the Caucasus and Crimea. We have only one purpose, to beat the Russians hard and let all countries in the world understand that the Ottoman Empire not only used to be, Now it is also the sharpest sword of Allah.

After listening to Selim’s speech, Napoleon began to explain his strategic deployment: “Considering His Majesty’s war objectives and the empire’s poor logistics system and army, our main policy in the early stages of the war was to conduct a feint attack first and launch an attack on the Russian border area. Raid, then pretend to retreat. Then take a defensive position and gradually abandon some towns, luring the Russians deep into the empire and lengthening the Russian supply lines. Of course, in order to prevent the Russians from supplying by sea, Hassan Pasha needs to be responsible for the blockade of the coastline. .”

After looking at everyone's reaction, Napoleon went on to elaborate on his battle plan: "Based on past experience, the Russians will inevitably put their main force on the Moldova front line, so what Ali Pasha, you have to do is to be optimistic about the Caucasus. And I will We will engage in a decisive battle with the Russian army when they are tired enough and completely defeat them."

"Bonaparte, where is the decisive battle location you chose?" Hassan asked, "Izmail Fortress, I will arrange for Muhammad Ali to guard this place to tire out the Russian army. As for you, you need to lead the troops to cut off the Russian supply lines. .Of course, whether you succeed or not, I will launch a decisive battle." Napoleon responded.

"French lieutenant, you mean to let the empire abandon Moldova, hand over the strong Ochakov Fortress, and let the Russian army penetrate into the heart of the empire."

Ali Pasha, who has always had no sense of existence, dared to question others, which Selim couldn't stop.

However, Selim did not intend to stop Ali Pasha. Suppressing the Guards' voice too much would not be beneficial to preparations for war. Moreover, Ali Pasha was not a person who liked to fight for power.

If Napoleon could convince him, the Guards would be more comfortable to use.

"Ali Pasha, you need to understand that the Sultan's army is not enough to defeat the Russian army. If you choose to attack, you are destined to gain nothing. According to your idea, do you want to capture Jinboun and go north along the Dnieper River?"

Ali Pasha did not speak, but nodded. This was not only his suggestion, but also the suggestion of most of the officers in the Guards except Aladdin.

"Then we might as well deduce it. If you want to complete your plan, you need to cooperate with the navy and the army, but I have never seen you conduct relevant exercises." Napoleon tapped the table with his pen and said.

"Even if it succeeds, subsequent supplies and troops will need to be transported by sea. This not only increases the logistical burden, but also means that the navy must always control the Black Sea. Do you think the Ottoman Empire can do it without Crimea?"

"And if it fails, it will not only delay the time for the army to move north to harass the Russian border, resulting in insufficient weakening of Russia's logistics capabilities, but also remind the Russians to assemble their troops at a faster speed. By then, our pretended retreat is likely to turn into A big rout, can you bear the consequences?”

"Finally, if you fight a decisive battle with the Russian army from the beginning, facing an army that fights to defend the motherland and has guaranteed logistics, can you be sure of victory?"

Faced with three questions about Napoleon's soul, Ali Pasha only responded with a wry smile. What could he do?

The reason why he was able to become the commander-in-chief of the Guards was precisely because the Sultan took a fancy to his and Xini's abilities.

But he could not completely ignore the opinions of the Guards. He just married a new wife. His youngest daughter was only three years old, and he still had an old mother at home. You know, the Guards are really good at killing people when they get angry.

In fact, Selim could also guess Ali Pasha's difficulties, but he liked to see this kind of scene.

However, play ends and trouble ends, the Sultan still has to clean up this mess, otherwise it will not be conducive to the unity within the ruling class, although the Guards will soon disappear in Selim's plan.

"Okay, okay, let's do this. The Army, Navy, New Army, Grand Vizier, and Grand Mufti each have one vote. Let's vote to resolve it. How about that?"

Everyone looked at each other, why would the Sultan make such a proposal? Shouldn't the matter be decided with a wave of your hand and taking the blame?

Selim didn't explain, he just looked at the participants with a smile. In the end, Napoleon's plan passed with four votes in favor and one against.

In fact, this may indeed be the best plan for the Ottoman Empire. It can not only thwart the Russian offensive through strong walls and clear the field, but also compare the greatness of the Ottoman Empire through the atrocities of the Russian army. The most important thing is that fighting this kind of war , Napoleon is guaranteed to win.

As for whether Napoleon's guarantee is trustworthy, Selim is not worried at all. Ever since he came into contact with this historical military god, Selim has understood one thing. Combat experience can be accumulated, but combat intuition is not It's something you're born with, you can't learn it.

So, with Napoleon on Selim's side, who would the Russians have to send to do the job?

Whether it is Rumyantsev or Suvorov, who dares to say that he will definitely win against Napoleon?

Not to mention that in the original time and space, Potemkin and Rumyantsev had a very unpleasant quarrel, and even relied on their bed relationship to squeeze each other away.

As for Suvorov, the army he commanded at the beginning of the war was a partial division with only 5,000 men. On the other hand, Napoleon had one division of the Guards, two brigades of the New Army, and 150,000 Guards troops.

In this kind of tailwind situation, Napoleon can hang Suvorov under a hammer.

As for Potemkin, haha, putting him here is a waste of money. Ekaterina is where he should be.

There was no need to consider Repnin and Kutuzov in the future. Selim had no intention of fighting until 1791. The reason was simple: he did not have so much money.

"So, Nahuang's product must be a high-quality product. It not only solves military problems, but also solves economic problems. Of course, this is also because I have farsightedness and poached the future military god in advance." Selim I felt happy in my heart.

After dealing with the rebellious Ali Pasha, Napoleon continued to unfold his magnificent war picture: "Hasan Pasha, Ochakov Fortress is also an important part of this war. The longer it is defended, the more it will be consumed. The Russian army will be more beneficial to the final decisive battle. So please ensure the sea supply to Ochakov Fortress. In addition, if the Russian army's losses in the Battle of Izmail are large enough, I will Go north to pursue the Russian army. During this period, please ensure that you control the coastline on the northern coast of the Black Sea."

"Next are the Grand Vizier and the Grand Mufti. Before I lead my army to retreat, please make sure that you complete the fortification and clearing of the country. The residents can ignore it, but the food must be taken away. Please also prepare the supplies for later shipping in advance."

At this point, Napoleon finally ended his discussion, and compared to the solemnity of others, the Sultan seemed very indifferent, "Now that the policy has been set, you can go and implement it, and the meeting is dismissed. Ali Pasha stays."

Topkapi Palace, in the garden of the First Courtyard, Selim and Ali Pasha are walking. "Your Majesty, I think I am no longer suitable as the commander-in-chief of the Guards. I hope you can allow me to step down and let me spend my remaining years in peace."

Listening to Ali's request, Selim almost laughed out loud. He had been the commander-in-chief of the Guards for several years and collected a lot of money every year. He really thought that these things could be offset by just making peace with each other. When I really want to use you, I'll just play tricks on the Sultan, right?

However, Selim was too lazy to expose him, and just smiled and said: "Dear Ali, you have to understand that Yusuf Pasha and Hassan Pasha are already eighty years old, but they are still fighting for the revival of the empire. , but I can’t see this spirit in you, do you understand?”

After Selim said this, he didn't leave without turning his head. He knew that Ali was a smart man and would make the right choice.

Ali Pasha, who stayed where he was, was silent for a while, sighed, and left with a wry smile.

This chapter involves the details of the Russian-Turkish War, so it is not that easy to understand. You can join the book club: 866261215. I will post pictures of the Russian-Turkish War in the original time and space in the group.