Chapter 934: The Sun and Moon Flag in the Persian Gulf (First update, please subscribe)
1877 was a year of great changes.
The fate of countless people changed completely in this year, and it was also in this year that Türkiye perished!
What does the demise of Türkiye mean for the world?
Of course it means opportunity!
Napoleon IV, who had originally wanted to wait for the Arabs to gather in Jerusalem, immediately led 60,000 troops to Jerusalem after learning the news, and began his battle to recapture the holy city. At the same time, Marshal Bazaine led 50,000 troops to the east and launched an attack on the Mesopotamian River Basin.
For Napoleon IV, what he wanted was not only to capture the Holy City, but also to seize large colonies for France. Mesopotamia was the richest region in the entire Middle East.
While France began its expansion in the Middle East, people in the Russian Empire were discussing victory and restoring the glory of the Roman Empire.
What is Ming Dynasty doing?
Of course, it is the final attack on Brazil.
However, the Ming Dynasty is also part of the world. When Russia, France and the Austro-Hungarian Empire all began to feast on the remains of Turkey, how could the Ming Dynasty miss it?
Almost on the day after the Russian army conquered Constantinople, the East African Corps Command in Dar es Salaam, the capital of Ming East Africa, received an order from the military. Upon receiving the order, Ximen Longsheng did not hesitate to temporarily reorganize the 15 newly trained battalions into the "Middle East Army". Led by Colonel Zhong Deming, under the escort of the East African detachment, they boarded 12 transport ships and arrived in Kuwait City on the west coast of the Persian Gulf half a month later.
The port was somewhat different from the heavily guarded one that Zhong Demin had imagined. When he was on the road, he thought his troops would have to fight hard before they could land. After all, Turkey was a country close to Europe with modern equipment. Even if it was the "sick man of West Asia", it could still bite people.
But to his surprise, after a fierce bombardment by naval artillery razed the simple artillery positions on the coast to the ground, the first battalion of the third regiment of the "Middle East Army" successfully landed in Kuwait City without encountering any obstruction.
If it weren't for the naval artillery bombardment that razed the Middle Eastern-style town to the ground and turned it into ruins with columns of smoke rising, the landing troops would have thought they were landing on the coast of Africa.
For these "imperial warriors" who had just finished three months of military training, they had originally prepared to be loyal to the emperor and fight hard in Kuwait. However, who would have thought that they would occupy this small coastal town with a population of only a few thousand people without firing a single shot.
After searching the ruins of the city, the landing troops found that most of the residents had fled before the army's bombardment, leaving only a few local people who could not walk. In the bombardment, they died more than survived, but it was good to have some alive. After talking with the translator, Zhong Demin on the ship learned that in the entire Kuwait, the Turkish garrison had only about one squadron of troops.
After the Ming fleet appeared on the sea, those people slipped away before they even opened fire.
"…As for the Turkish forces in the entire Mesopotamian region, they were led by Muhammad Pasha, a Prussian who converted to Islam and naturalized Turkey. He led an army of about 18,000 people, which was scattered in the three provinces of Basra, Baghdad, and Mosul, with the main force in Basra…"
While the intelligence officer was introducing local intelligence, Zhong Demin walked to the map and looked at the military map on it. This so-called military map was actually a tourist map, not even much more detailed than a tourist map, but it was the only map Zhong Demin had.
It's not that he didn't want good maps, but that there really weren't any. Even the Turks themselves didn't draw maps of the west coast of the Persian Gulf. The maps published by the British simply marked the locations of fishing villages and small towns on the coast. In the past, those places were pirate dens, so the British were naturally very concerned about them, but their concern was limited to the coastal areas.
"It doesn't matter. Our target is not Basra or Mesopotamia. Those are the places the French are going to occupy. We only care about here..."
Point your finger south from Kuwait City on the map to the south of the Strait of Hormuz - this is the entire west coast area of the Persian Gulf.
"Our mission is to seize this area and make it a colony of the empire!"
"Sir, this is all desert!"
The intelligence officer looked at the map in surprise.
"It's a desert, but this is our mission. However, this doesn't mean our mission is easy."
After a pause, Zhong Demin said.
"Because the Ottoman Empire had a weak rule in this area, local leaders in the coastal areas called themselves "Emirs" and established independent regimes. In the past, both Arab and European merchant ships were repeatedly looted by small countries in the region, so this place was called the "Pirate Coast". In 1819, the British East India Company sent a fleet to destroy coastal fortresses in Ras Al Khaimah, Sharjah, Dubai and other places to ensure the smooth flow of routes from India to Egypt. Those so-called emirs were forced to sign the "General Peace Treaty of the Persian Gulf" with Britain and agreed to stop piracy. Now, the opponents we are facing are these "emirs"!"
Staring at the map, Zhong Demin thought for a while and then said.
"After occupying Kuwait, we started to move south, just like the East India Company fleet, sweeping the pirate dens along the coast."
Since the enemy was not strong and had no fighting spirit and fled without firing a single shot, Zhong Demin naturally believed that he could complete the task easily and sweep the entire west coast of the Persian Gulf. The only thing left out was Mesopotamia - that was the territory of the French!
What a pity!
Another person who also felt sorry was Kawakami Soroku, the captain of the Middle East Army. Looking at the destroyed town, he certainly did not feel pity for this small Middle Eastern town. He felt sorry more because there was no fighting.
No fighting means no military merit. No military merit... This is really a shame to Your Majesty!
"Really, damn it!"
Kawakami Soroku looked at the locals who were wearing white robes and turbans on their heads, and he couldn't help complaining in his heart.
"Can't you fight us bravely like warriors?"
While complaining about their cowardice and incompetence in his heart, Kawakami Soroku couldn't help but feel a little envious of his comrades far away in Africa. At least they had lands to conquer and battles to fight there, but what about here?
"But come to think of it, who would fight for sand?"
(End of this chapter)
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