The Rise of the European Emperor

Chapter 1628 Helpless Withdrawal

"Bastard, bastard! This Ismaili is really shameless! The huge capital actually moved away as soon as he said it, and he thinks this is a move?" In the empty Tabriz palace, Selim I was so angry that I jumped on my feet.

Selim I couldn't help but be angry, because he brought almost 200,000 people including 120,000 troops and tens of thousands of civilians, and he expected to get sufficient supplies after breaking through the city of Tabriz. As a result, Tabriz was taken, but everything that could be eaten in the city was emptied. 200,000 people can only rely on supplies from the mainland, which is very dangerous. If the supply line is cut, it's over.

In fact, the Persians were already sending men to attack the supply lines of the Turks. Although the scale is small, it also makes the Turks very nervous.

Because, if the food and grass are cut off, the 210,000 mouths, including hundreds of thousands of horses and camels, will be finished. Horses and camels are still needed, at least they can eat grass. And people can't eat grass, can they? Therefore, Selim I is now in a state of desperation. Doubts arose about whether to continue marching.

In fact, Ismail I's courage is still a little bit small. If Marin commanded the battle, the focus might be directly on the supply line attacking the Turks. As for strengthening the wall and clearing the field, it can be done by dividing 10,000 cavalry. There are tens of thousands of herdsmen booing together, and that formation is definitely enough.

Ismail I, on the other hand, was a little worried about the tens of thousands of Turkish cavalry, so he only allocated a few thousand cavalry to harass the supply lines of the Turks, while he took the main force to monitor the Turkish army. The main purpose is to prevent the Turkish cavalry from leaving the formation and chasing the capital-moving team. After all, the team to move the capital has not reached Isfahan yet. If they are caught up by Turkish cavalry halfway, it will be a one-sided massacre.

Of course, it cannot be said that Ismail I was wrong, he was a safe choice. Marin, on the other hand, is more likely to take risks. Because, he is used to tricks and is good at using miscellaneous troops to disguise themselves as regular troops to confuse the enemy. And Ismail I was obviously not that cunning, and it was the limit he could think of to be able to pull tens of thousands of herdsmen together with the large army.

But if the team that moved the capital successfully arrived in Isfahan, with the support of a strong city, Ismail I would be able to let go and send the main force to cut off the supply line of the Turks.

...

And Selim I was not a fool, as a contemporary hero, he also realized this, so he felt the danger. However, he couldn't crack it either. Because, his army moves too slowly. With the drag of artillery and infantry, the marching speed of the army is only more than 20 kilometers per day, and it is simply unable to chase the Persians over long distances. If the Persian rear stabilizes and mobilizes a large army to cut off Turkey's supply line and retreat, then this large army may be finished.

After a fierce ideological struggle and discussions with his subordinates, Selim I finally decided to withdraw his troops.

However, unlike the original history, although the Turks also conquered Tabriz this time, they did not get anything. In the original history, Selim I also captured the two wives of Ismail I as prisoners of war.

But now, not to mention the battle uniforms, he didn't even get a single piece of property or food!

If he goes back empty-handed like this, Selim I's prestige will drop...

At this time, a general named Said gave an idea:

"Sudan, my subordinates heard that Ismail only cleared the walls in front of our marching route, but did not clear the walls on both sides..."

"You mean... to attack on both sides? However, there are no important cities on both sides! There are no important cities,

Just can't get enough supplies! "

Said shook his head and said:

"Sudan, what we want now is to find the steps, not to find supplies. Moreover, even if we want to find supplies, the enemy cavalry is faster than us, and they will destroy them first. Therefore, we can only find a way out now! I heard that, Ismail’s hometown is Ardabil, east of Tabriz. Moreover, it seems that there are not many people stationed there. Let’s send thousands of cavalry to raid Ardabil and capture a few Ardabil Ismail’s fellow countryman in Dabil is said to be his tribe. In this way, there is an explanation for bringing it back to the country. Moreover, it is said that there are indeed many Ismail’s tribe in Ardabil. Although the relationship is far away It's a little bit, but he's still a clansman. As long as his clansman is caught, even if it's a distant relative, it's a good way to save face..."

"Okay, let's do it!"

Selim I urgently needs to find a way to step down now, so he needs a few decent prisoners of war for appearance. In order to cover the cavalry raid on Ardabil, Selim I even dispatched a large army, posing a posture of chasing in the southeast direction, attracting the attention of the Persians.

However, in the chaos, thousands of cavalry were quietly dispatched to Ardabil overnight...

In order to scare the Persians, the Turks even dispatched 20,000 cavalry, pretending to leave the team to pursue the Persian capital-moving team. Sure enough, in order to protect the Persian court that moved its capital, most of the Persian soldiers and horses were used to stop the 20,000 Turkish cavalry. But the 20,000 cavalry were just pretending, and when they saw too much resistance, they retreated.

The cavalry who went to Ardabil returned within a few days. They found the Turkman tribe where Ismail I was at the time. At this time, this once unknown Turkman tribe had become the famous "Land of Longxing" in Persia. Although most of the relatives of Ismail I moved to Tabriz, some distant relatives stayed here as the emperor. Their status in the relatives of Ismail I is not high, but they are all uncles in their hometown in Ardabil.

After the Turkish cavalry arrived, they didn't bother to find out where they lived easily. Then, a surprise attack captured more than a dozen distant relatives of Ismail I...

When they joined Selim I's army with their troops, Selim I decisively withdrew his troops...

However, when the troops were withdrawn, the Turkish army did not go back the same way, but went north from Tabriz and went straight to the nearby Armenian region. Because, in the Armenian region, the Turkish army can grab food supplies nearby...

Subsequently, the Turkish army went straight to Rize and Trabzon on the coast. Because, by the sea, the supply of the Turkish army will be easy. After all, the cost of sending ships from Turkey to transport food from Istanbul is lower than that on land.

When withdrawing troops, Selim I realized the importance of supply lines. Therefore, he left tens of thousands of troops to garrison the newly captured Erzurum area, and decided to stabilize this place first. Then, build forts in the direction of Tabriz along the way to ensure the safety of the supply line. When the safety of the supply line is guaranteed next time, we will send troops to attack Persia again...

It's just that because the Turkish army burned, killed and looted there before, it has aroused strong resentment from the people in Erzurum and Armenia.

Therefore, in order to ensure a safe transportation line, Selim I decided to send people to win over the Kurdish tribes in the south of the Erzurum area. The Kurdish-controlled area is closer to Tabriz. If the Kurds become Turkey's allies, the next time they send troops, the Turkish army will pass through the Kurdish area, so there is no need to worry about the supply line being harassed. After all, the Kurds are not bad in force. As long as the Kurds are on their side, if others want to send troops into the area to harass the supply lines of the Turkish army, they have to ask the Kurds' scimitar to agree or not...

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