Continental Warriors Yoo Ma

"Uh..." Philip III showed a cautious look.

The Duke of Milan is not the idiot of the Duke of Bavaria, and needs to be dealt with seriously.

"The vast desert and rugged mountains are enough to offset the advantage of the Mulhollan's surprise attack. As long as we occupy enough land in advance, we will have plenty of time to respond. No matter which route the Mulholrans attack the Crusaders, the other two The crusaders have time to support."

"You are too idealistic, Sir Philip. Can you guarantee that we, monarchs with different interests, are willing to abandon our prejudices and support each other in times of crisis? Can you guarantee that the reinforcements will arrive in time? In a strange land, lost, Sandstorms, water shortages, diseases, hot weather, indigenous attacks... There are countless possibilities that will delay the speed of our support. It is too risky to divide the troops into three groups!"

What the Duke of Milan said is indeed possible.This time, it was Philip III's turn to be speechless.

Seeing this, Ma Youfu signaled the Duke of Burgundy to sit back.He's ready to play himself.

"Your Excellency Filippo, what you said is indeed possible. But these uncertain factors cannot be used as the basis for formulating an overall strategy."

"Oh? Then I would like to ask the wise men from the East." Filippo said with a mocking tone, obviously disapproving of the title of "wise man" given to Ma Youfu by others, "What do you think the strategy should be based on?"

"Of course it is the most basic, most objective, and most unchangeable factors. Such as weather, geography, and people's hearts. Specifically, I can explain to you each of these crusades." Ma Youfu talked eloquently, holding out a stick finger.

"First of all, the weather. It's already spring. If we can't start the crusade as soon as possible and establish a stronghold in the Maghreb, then when the delay reaches the summer, we will have to fight in the hot weather in an unfamiliar place. In the desert, we are forced to fight to the death with a powerful enemy who is familiar with this environment. That is extremely disadvantageous. Or, we can continue to wait until next autumn before launching the southern expedition."

In fact, the choice of delaying and waiting for change is a good idea.

Now the armies of the Mulholland countries have come from afar and gathered in the city of Tunisia. If it takes a long time, they will inevitably face difficulties in supply.And the Mulholland countries, which have no less conflicts than the countries of the Seven Holy Cults, are likely to have internal strife and then disperse in a herd.

Therefore, it is not unreasonable to say, "One Book Three Kingdoms Conquer the World".

Isn't this how Ma Youfu's spiritual mentor, Prime Minister Cao, dealt with the Yuan family?

"Absolutely not!" It was Enren IV who denied Ma Youfu's proposal to delay the southern expedition.

He resolutely said: "From the beginning of winter to the present, the preparations for the Crusade have been more than three months. If there is any further delay, the piety and enthusiasm of the Crusaders will be quickly exhausted. By then, all the lords, and I This pope will be ashamed before the seven saints."

Enren IV was right.The Mulhollan people couldn't afford it, and neither could the Seven Saints.Now that crusaders from all walks of life are gathering, it is the time when the string is stretched to the tightest. If you don't release the arrow as soon as possible, the string will break first, and then you will hurt yourself.

Those crusaders who lose their patience are very likely to become bandits who cause disasters in place, and even the monarchs of all walks of life cannot be restrained.

Ma Youfu did not dare to report any expectations of the discipline and moral bottom line of the medieval army.

"The Pope is right. This is the human factor that must be considered when formulating a strategy, so we must launch the Southern Expedition as soon as possible." Ma Youfu said smoothly.

He stretched out his third finger: "Finally, it's geography. Why didn't all the lords, including His Highness Sigismund, object to the attack plan of the Three-way Crusade? It is precisely because of this kind of nearby attack." The plan is the most time-saving and labor-saving, and meets the objective conditions. Could it be that the Iberian Crusaders want to attack Tunisia, or the German Crusaders are planning to cross the entire Western Mediterranean to land in Morocco?

Now, there are objections to this plan, but some monarchs feel that they need to face the main force of the Mulhollan people, and they are timid and afraid, and dare not fight against them. "

"Humph!"

"Pooh!"

"Shh!"

All kinds of grotesque hisses came to Ma Youfu.

Those who spoke were all lords from Italy and Germany.

Ma Youfu shrugged indifferently, waiting for the other party's response.

At this time, Emperor Sigismund, with a clear face, spoke.

"Duke Baal," he looked at Ma Youfu, "the distance on the ocean is different from the distance on land. Due to the influence of ocean currents, wind direction, and magical storms, sometimes a seemingly narrow strait is as difficult as a natural moat." Leaping over. Every year starting from April, there will be frequent magic storms in the Mediterranean Sea, and no one knows what will happen at that time."

"Then can you come up with a better plan?" Ma Youfu asked.

Sigismund did not answer, but King Alfonso V of Aragon said: "Since everyone's opinions are difficult to unify, it is meaningless to procrastinate. It is better to see each other's ability and willingness to attack that heretic." Let’s attack the city. Whether you can succeed or not depends on your abilities.”

As soon as he finished speaking, King Joao I of Portugal shouted: "Agreed."

Afterwards, voices of "agreement" sounded in the tent one after another.

Although Ma Youfu didn't say anything, he didn't object either, and seemed to acquiesce to the result.

He had known for a long time that there would be no results at all in this meeting.Including him, how could the monarchs of the Seven Sacred Cults who have their own ghosts abandon their self-interest and unite together selflessly?

The first law of human society: Grass is the norm, not grass is a rare phenomenon.

Anyway, the Mulholland camp is also full of conflicts, so everyone should rely on their own abilities.

The only person who was injured was probably Pope Enjen IV.He really wanted to unite all countries under the banner of the Seven Sacred Religion and make a career out of it.

Seeing the dissident monarchs ending the meeting hastily, Enren IV's heart was bleeding.But there is no other way, then he can only pinch his nose and lead many monarchs to hold a very high-profile and powerful sacrament on the banks of the Tiber River, which can be regarded as a pre-war mobilization for the Southern Crusade .

Of course, this Tiber meeting was not completely fruitless.

Under the mediation of Enren IV, the monarchs of the Italian states reached an agreement with the Holy Roman Emperor.

The Italian states allowed the emperor's German crusaders to pass through their territories to Sicily.Sigismund, on the other hand, swears by pointing at the Tiber River that his army is only going south to exterminate the heretics, and will never take advantage of the situation to attack the country of his brothers and let the farce of the Fourth Crusade reappear. .

After the meeting, the monarchs went back to their homes and went to their mothers.

After the Crusaders' original three-way offensive plan was mixed up, it seemed that the French Crusaders in the middle suffered the most.Not only Philip III, but even Charles VII, who had a nonchalant attitude at the meeting, approached Ma Youfu to discuss the next countermeasures.

Chapter 430 Respective plan

"Your Highness, and Your Excellency Philip, I think it is not difficult for you to see that the Iberians and Emperor Shenluo have actually reached an agreement in secret long ago. They deliberately want to destroy the attack plan made before." Ma Youfu said, "They thought we The French-Burgundian Crusade Army, now stumbled by the surviving undead pirates in Corsica, is not yet ready for the southern expedition."

"Uh... I heard that those terrible undead made a mess of Corsica. Even the land is soaked in the magic of the undead, and bones grow from it. It will take decades to fully recover..." Charlie Seventh said.

"Your Highness, it's not that exaggerated. It's just that I have to maintain [-] crusaders and [-]% of the chaplains in Corsica for at least two months to completely clean up the scars left by the undead pirates."

"So, we still have [-] troops that can be used at any time?" Charles VII was overjoyed.

"Yes. Although the strength of [-] troops is impressive, your Highness, you'd better not look at these crusaders by the standards of the elite troops that besieged Paris last year." Ma Youfu poured cold water on them.

Among the components of the Central Crusade, of the 2 people from the Kingdom of France, only 6000 were directly under Mayouf's troops.This army has been modernized by Ma Youfu from the organization to the arms to the weapon configuration, and has the strongest combat effectiveness.Now, half of them are led by Joan of Arc to collect the dead on the island of Corsica.

The other 4000 people were composed of converted wool soldiers and volunteers from all over France.They were directly loyal to Charles VII, but under the command of Ma Youfu in battle.Their combat effectiveness is good, but from organization to command structure to tactics and equipment, it is still a typical late medieval army.

The 2 Burgundian Crusaders were led by Philip III himself.Although inspired by Ma Youfu, this army is equipped with a large number of firearms imitated from Ma Youfu's army, but firstly, the quality is not good, and secondly, its core is still a medieval army. In addition, the generals and combat experience are not as good as France, which has been baptized in a hundred years of war. , so the overall strength is about the same as that of the Crusaders loyal to Charles VII.

There were 6000 crusaders sent by the Principality of Anjou. Excluding the volunteers, there were about 3000 of them that Ma Youfu could directly command.This army is now being reorganized in Provence and learning to use new firearms, which is temporarily useless.

The Crusaders of the Principality of Brittany are the most distinctive.

This army was led by Francois, the heir of the Principality of Brittany, with a total of 4000 people, half of whom were insignificant peasant conscripts, fighting with only a simple spear and the fanaticism of the Seven Saints.The other half are all well-equipped heavy cavalry.

When seeing this army, Ma Youfu seemed to think that he had returned to the First Crusade.

The reason why such a retro-configured army appeared after the English longbowmen led the infantry revolution in the late Middle Ages is also related to Breton's centuries-old military tradition.

For Western European heavy cavalry, look at France, and for French heavy cavalry, look at Brittany.

The Crusaders under Ma Youfu's hands are complex in composition and uneven in combat effectiveness, and there are a large number of volunteers who join the army only because of religious fanaticism.The organization and discipline of these people are questionable.

Therefore, as the de facto supreme commander, Ma Youfu can't be overheated just because he has an "army" of 5 people at hand, thinking that he can easily win in the past with a draw.

Of course, whether it is the other two Crusaders or the Jihad Army formed by the Mulhollans, the situation is actually similar.I am afraid that what everyone is comparing is not who can fight better, but who makes fewer mistakes.

After pouring cold water on Charles VII, Ma Youfu began to cheer up again: "The Portuguese and the Aragonese said 'each according to his own ability', but they are relying on their geographical advantages. They think they are closer to North Africa, so It can take the lead. But João I and Alfonso V did not know that we are more advanced and efficient in logistics and organizational management. Once we decide to launch an attack, we can quickly send troops to the south. Moreover, we also have a Mediterranean The strongest navy!"

Ma Youfu is not bragging.After taking control of Genoa, the warships he owns are superior to other Mediterranean countries in terms of quantity and quality.

Moreover, after installing a large number of Aphrodite's figureheads, the sailors' sailing efficiency has been greatly improved, and the speed has increased by at least one-fifth.

"You two, we French-Burgundian Crusades will definitely fire the first shot of the Tenth Crusade and grab the sweetest fruits of victory, so that all those people's self-righteous calculations will come to nothing!" Ma Youfu is full of confidence.

"If that's the case, then I won't go back to Paris. I must personally see off the Crusaders at the port of Marseille!" Charles VII laughed.

……

After the meeting on the Tiber River, Mayouf wrote a letter to Donatello, asking him to help find a group of outstanding architects and formulate a plan for the transformation of the city of Rome.

Ma Youfu intends to start to transform the two cities of Paris and Rome after the main battle of the Crusades is over.

The city of Rome is a minor reform and needs to be discussed with Enren IV.Paris is undergoing major reforms. According to Ma Youfu's wishes, we should design a brand-new city that is truly "clean and hygienic", set a new benchmark for Europe, and make material preparations for the exhibition.

To this end, Ma Youfu intends to establish a new company specializing in engineering infrastructure.

When this was done, he set out for Marseilles.

The leaders of the other two Crusades also left Rome one after another and went back to make final preparations.

After Sigismund joined the Italian princes from all walks of life, there were a total of 6 German-Italian coalition forces that were still receiving volunteers. They passed through the territory of the Papal State and entered Naples. They are expected to arrive in Sicily in a month. Port of Palermo.

In order to support this unprecedented army, the shipyards of Venice are going all out to launch various ships.During this Crusade, Venice had no demand for the territory of the Maghreb. They just wanted to take the opportunity to defeat the Mamluk and Ottoman sea power while earning freight, so that they could expand trade in the Eastern Mediterranean , to gain an advantage.

The monarchs of the four Iberian countries set sail from Rome by boat and headed west.

The four sovereigns were all aboard the Portuguese navy flagship, the [-]-ton Guadiana.

Leaving Ma Youfu as an open traveler, in this era, the Portuguese, who took the lead in setting their sights on the ocean, are leading in Europe in terms of shipbuilding technology and navigation technology.

Unlike ships adapted to navigate the Mediterranean, the Guadiana was built to fight the violent storms of the Atlantic.

Last year, Joao I's third son, Henry the Navigator, set off from Alvega on the Guadiana to explore the route to "Green Africa" ​​in the south.

Unexpectedly, the ship encountered a magical turbulence on the way, and went south uncontrollably.However, the powerful Guadiana withstood the terrible magic storm, and the Portuguese finally got a blessing in disguise.The exploratory fleet was blown by the storm across Cape Bojador and finally arrived at Altyn.

In the end, Prince Henry established Portugal's first trading post on the African continent in Altyn, and began to send "African specialties" mainly orc slaves to Europe.

This maritime trade route, which completely got rid of the influence of Mulholland merchants, increased the income of the Portuguese royal family again, which also provided confidence for King João I to march south to the Maghreb.

"Everyone, after returning to China this time, within half a month, we must complete the assembly of the Crusaders and then launch an attack!" The elderly King Joao I clenched his fists tightly, bursting out with rare strength.

Knowing that his time was numbered, he hoped that in the final stage of his life, he would leave a rich legacy for his children and grandchildren.

"The Castilian Crusade is divided into two parts. One part is assembled in Seville, joins the Portuguese Crusaders, goes to the port of Ceuta, and then attacks Tangier by land. The other part goes to Valencia and joins the Portuguese Crusaders. The Aragonese Crusaders are converging and heading south to attack the Port of Oran in the Tlemcen Sultanate!"

Alfonso V had no objection to João I's proposal.

And Juan II turned his head to look at his lover Alvaro beside him.

Alvaro said: "Remember, you two, after defeating Tlemcen and Morocco and controlling the coastline from Morocco to Barbary, help us take Granada."

"of course."

"I will try to help my brother in Iberia."

The other two kings readily agreed.

The man from Navarre who had been ignored by the three kings suddenly said at this time: "Everyone, are you sure that you will defeat the pagans before the French send troops? The battle is unfavorable, and the French Crusaders have arrived in the Maghreb, what should we do?"

"My friend," Joao I's cloudy eyes sparkled with wisdom, "Our Iberian Crusade has assembled [-]% of the soldiers, and the supplies will be ready soon. We will be in May Launch an offensive and take the lead in occupying various Maghreb coastal ports and important cities. After that, even if the French Crusaders arrive, so what, do they dare to force a landing? Without ports, there is no way to transport materials on a large scale, and without occupying towns, There is no way to get enough supplies on the spot. In the hot summer, how do the French survive in the desert of North Africa? The Seris has only two choices. Either leave in despair, or reach an agreement with us to provide supplies, and Take our command."

"However, the premise of all this is that we can quickly defeat the Mulhollan army."

"I have inquired a lot of information through businessmen who have traveled back and forth between Europe and Africa all year round. Among the three heathen countries in the Maghreb, Tlemcen is weak and vulnerable. Morocco was originally the most powerful The country, but the domestic internal conflict is serious, the Watas family who monopolizes the position of the vizier, and the Marin family of the Sudan have been at odds for a long time, and it is impossible to work together to resist foreign enemies..." João I talked about the situation in North Africa very well.

Chapter 430 Epilepsy Entertainment Club

Of the three Maghreb countries, only the Tunisian Sultanate is the most stable.But will the Sultan of Tunisia take the risk to rescue the other two countries when more than [-] holy crusaders are overwhelmingly suppressing the border?