Continental Warriors Yoo Ma

Zakaria is willing to cede all the coastal provinces of Morocco to the Crusaders in exchange for peace-that is, when the Moroccan Sultanate changes from the Marin dynasty to the Watas dynasty, Mayouf must not continue to invade Moroccan territory.

Under the sharp attack of the Crusaders, Morocco continued to lose territory.There was nothing Sultan Haq II could do about it, and his army failed again and again, causing pain and humiliation to all Moroccans.

More and more people began to doubt the legitimacy of the Marin Dynasty and began to oppose the rule of Huck II.

Then, Zakaria stepped forward at the right time and led the Moroccan people to overthrow the corrupt and incompetent Marin Dynasty and become the new Moroccan Sultan.

At that time, the powerful crusader invaders will be photographed by the power of the new sultan, dare not continue to invade, and can only sign a peace treaty.With this achievement, Zakaria will be able to secure the position of Sultan.

The script, co-written by Ma Youfu and Zakaria, has now begun its first act.

At present, it seems that the progress is very smooth. With the help of the Vatas family, Ma Youfu captured Ceuta with ease.Next, Zakaria, an insider, is doing trouble in Morocco. The young Sultan Haq II will encounter great troubles whether he is gathering troops or collecting military supplies.

This will further weaken Morocco's military strength and make it easier for the crusaders to win.

"My lord, are you willing to only occupy the coast? Fez and Marrakech in the inland of Morocco are rich and big cities, and the Atlas Mountains are rich in mineral resources. The desert trade route to green Africa. Continue to attack until Morocco is completely occupied, and we will gain incredible wealth. Even if we change to a sultan, the weak Moroccan army will not be able to withstand your crusaders. Moreover, we and the pagans There is no need to talk about credit."

After Diego surrendered to Ma Youfu, his butt became extremely fast, and he immediately sat in Ma Youfu's position and made suggestions for him.

From the perspective of the military nobles in the Middle Ages, it is of course the most profitable and natural thing to swallow a pagan country and take all the land, population, and wealth for itself.

Otherwise, what kind of crusade are you launching?

Burning, killing, and looting in the name of the Seven Saints is the inspiration of the Crusaders!

But Ma Youfu has vision and insight beyond the shackles of religion.Mere plunder cannot last.Relying on violence to squeeze the people in the conquered land is an extremely inefficient method, and it is very easy to cause backlash.

To establish effective governance in a place that is far away from the country and has completely different beliefs, cultures, and geographical environments, how the British Empire ruled India in later generations gave Ma Youfu a lot of inspiration.

Of course, he definitely couldn't do such immoral and smoky things like the butter bullets that the Angsa people did.

However, although the martial virtues of the Mulhollan believers in North Africa are much better than that of the third brother, the situation in Morocco at this time is really a bit like the end of the Mughal Empire.

In addition to the increasingly fierce political struggle between the two major families in the central government, the local separatist forces in Morocco are also growing stronger.

Take Tetouan, which is not far south of Ceuta, and the governors of Chefchaouen, for example, they belong to the local real power faction who listen to the tune and don't listen to the propaganda.

This is still not far from the capital Fez.

In the farther south, Marrakech has long been reduced to an autonomous territory of the Berber tribal alliance "Shintata".In Sousse, further south of Marrakech, a group of Mulhollan mystics declared the establishment of a theocratic Sheikh State, with the Sultan of Fez as suzerain only in name.There is also Tafilalet, the largest oasis in Morocco, which is now self-governed by several Bedouin tribes, who monopolize gold mining in the area and levy taxes on the Sahara trade routes.

In such a chaotic situation, it is best to support the agent and divide and conquer.

Ma Youfu is willing to abide by the treaty signed with Zakaria, and stop attacking the interior of Morocco after he succeeded in usurping the throne, not because of diplomatic credibility or other reasons.

He wants to use Zakaria as a tool to disenchant the religion of ordinary people who believe in Mulholran.

When ordinary people in Morocco realize that the contradictions between the so-called two major religions are actually man-made, and that the Mulholland nobility, who oppressed and exploited them, are even more vicious and hateful than foreign heretics, religious issues will be resolved. It is no longer the biggest obstacle for Ma Youfu to implement effective governance.

Ma Youfu believes that Abu Zakaria, who is greedy and vicious, and will do whatever it takes to gain and maintain power, will definitely help him achieve his goals.

When this vizier succeeds in usurping the throne, he will face a terrible situation where he has just experienced a big defeat, lost all coastal territories, suffered heavy losses in commerce and trade, and all the vassal states and local governors are ready to move.If he wants to keep the hard-won Sultan's position, he has to intensify his efforts to squeeze the people in order to maintain sufficient military strength.

If these people living in hardships see that in the territory under Ma Youfu's rule, everyone can eat and wear warmth, and live with dignity, I believe that fools will know how to choose.

Ma Youfu has considered these political plans for a long time, but he will only tell a small number of insiders.His stated reason for not immediately attacking the interior of Morocco was a decision made for military reasons.

"The interior of Morocco is mountainous and dry, with complex terrain and harsh natural conditions. Even if the water resources brought by the holy mountains form new rivers, the situation will not change immediately. There are a large number of tribal people living in such places, You should know how difficult they are. It’s not impossible to conquer the whole of Morocco, but it will take a lot of time, a lot of money, and many lives.” Ma Youfu explained to Diego.

"The Mulholland coalition forces in Tunisia are still a big threat. It is impossible for me to throw all the troops into the vast desert and the rolling Atlas Mountains before destroying the main force of the enemy."

Diego nodded: "It's my greed for victory that affects my basic judgment. My lord, your choice is wise. I noticed that you have a powerful fleet, so the French-Burgundian Crusade is the most suitable The tactic is to advance along the coastline, relying on the supplies provided by the fleet and the fierce artillery support, to capture the coastal cities one after another. This can avoid going deep into the inland, and in the absence of supplies, and the Mulholland army who is familiar with the local situation Fight. This is indeed a wise choice, which can avoid the tragedy of the Battle of Harding from happening again. I think the talents of the Mulhollan monarchs who came to Tunisia this time are no less than Saladin."

Chapter 430 VII

From Sirte in the east to the Maghreb region in Ifni in the west, only the strip of land along the coast is flat enough and belongs to the Mediterranean climate, which is most suitable for human habitation.Extending inland, there are arid deserts, plateaus, and the steep Atlas Mountains, which cannot accommodate too many people.

So as long as the coastal elite area is occupied, then more than half of the crusade will be won.

The combat strategy formulated by Ma Youfu not only starts from the perspective of taking advantage of one's own navy, but also fights steadily, not coveting the maximum results, and can also block the offensive routes of the other two crusaders and monopolize the fruits of victory.It can be said to serve multiple purposes.

The reason why Ma Youfu chose Ceuta as the first target this time was also to teach the Portuguese a lesson.

Since the Hundred Years' War, Portugal has been hostile to France along with England.Even after the war was over, Portugal still chose to be an enemy of Ma Youfu in order to monopolize the huge profits of the sugar industry.Before and after the meeting on the Tiber River, how many tricks Joao I played against himself, Ma Youfu didn't say it clearly, but he knew it well.

Ma Youfu is not a character of vengeance, and he will not record all the things that Portugal offended him in a small notebook, and take revenge every chance he has.But if the opponent happened to hit his muzzle, Ma Youfu didn't mind smashing all the opponent's schemes to pieces, so that King Joao I could taste the bitterness of failure.

If the Portuguese recognize the current affairs, realize their mistakes, and are willing to cooperate with Ma Youfu, share navigation technology and explore information, then Ma Youfu can share some of the dividends of conquering Morocco with them.

Otherwise, Ma Youfu will let this small country in a quiet corner of the Iberian Peninsula see what European power is.

After a night of repairs, the next morning, Ceuta, who had changed hands, restored order.

A detachment of infantry led by Bayard recaptured in the morning the fort on Monte Anjela, which had been occupied by the Mulhollans, and not only captured many pagan weapons and banners, but also rescued many Portuguese prisoners.

It's just that behind this extremely smooth fortress recovery operation, it is not enough for outsiders to know whether there is any ulterior transaction.

In the afternoon, a legion that participated in the battle last night was stationed in Ceuta for rest.The other troops boarded warships, split into two, and headed towards Tetouan in the south and Tangier in the west.

Among them, the squadron that attacked Tangier was led by Ma Youfu himself.

On the morning of May 5, Tangier was captured.

Due to the insufficient production of gunpowder, the Dongfeng II rockets equipped by Ma Youfu's fleet were all consumed during the attack on Ceuta.In the Tangier landing battle, the Crusader fleet did not reproduce the devastating firepower.

This made Diego not know whether to cry or laugh.

According to Ma Youfu, for a long time, he may be the only general who has experienced rocket scrubbing.

But even so, with the support of powerful naval guns, the Crusaders still easily captured Tangier.

The city has a long history. In the tenth century BC, the Phoenicians established a colony here.Thanks to its unique geographical advantages, Tangier has always been an important hub connecting the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea, and between the European continent and the African continent.

It can be said that one-third of the war to conquer Morocco has been completed here.

After two days of rest, Ma Youfu continued to attack south.This time his goal was Sierra City on the right bank of the Bregre River.

To be precise, it should be Serra on the right bank of the Bregre River, Rabat on the left bank of the Bregre River, and Temara in the south, the urban agglomeration composed of these three cities.

This area has a rare plain in Morocco, and the Bregre River flows through it. It has superior natural conditions, developed agriculture and dense population.Rabat is also the capital of later Morocco.

It's just that now, Rabat's reputation is not as great as Serra across the river.

It was the biggest safe haven in Morocco for the notorious Berber pirates.Pirates often set out from here to plunder the coastlines of Portugal and Castile.

Historically, after Serra accepted the pagans expelled by Spain, the piracy business became more and more prosperous. By plundering European ships in the Atlantic Ocean, he earned a lot of wealth, and even became independent for a time and established the Pirate Republic.

It's just that under Ma Youfu's attack, this pirate paradise will be killed in the cradle ahead of time.

When Mayouf's fleet arrived in Sierra, there were only four pirate ships in the port.Most of the pirates were inspired by Ismail, um, to be precise, they received generous rewards, so they had already assembled in Tunis Port to serve for the Mulholland coalition forces.

And the remaining few pirates who are "unrestrained and love freedom" and do not want to be restrained are now reduced to targets under the artillery of the Crusade fleet.

Ma Youfu was not interested in persuading these rebellious and rebellious pirates whose hands were stained with the blood of civilians, so he directly ordered the fish to be smashed to death.Subsequently, the fleet covered the landing of the army and captured Serra.

By May 5, the three cities of Serra, Rabat, and Temara all fell into the hands of Mayouf.The other army also successfully joined forces with the Burgundian Crusaders under the city of Melilla. It must take no more than three days at the latest to capture the city.

Because the Vatas family was in the way, at this time the Moroccan Sultan began to hastily assemble troops, and summoned the tribal chiefs, requesting to send troops together to defeat the invaders of the Seven Saints.

The battle went so smoothly, but Ma Youfu did not choose to continue the attack.

After several days of high-intensity combat, although there were not many casualties, the soldiers were already very tired. Various supplies, especially the gunpowder and artillery shells of the navy, were very consumed and needed to be replenished urgently.

Mayouf sent half of the fleet back to Marseilles to transport supplies, and the other half was stationed in Tangier to control the Strait of Gibraltar and protect the coastline from Oran to Rabat.

As for the army, the French Crusade under his own command, in addition to leaving the necessary number of defenders in various coastal cities, the main force was stationed in Rabat.

From the city to the east, there is a smooth and smooth road leading to Menex, and then Fez, the current capital of Morocco.Mayouf predicted that after the Moroccan Sultan Haq II assembled his army, he would start from Fez and head westward to fight a decisive battle with the Crusaders on the plain between Hemisat and Tiflet, in order to exert his own strength. Berber cavalry has numerous mobility advantages.

Ma Youfu is ready to fulfill the other party's wish, to destroy the last resistance force in Morocco with a decisive battle waiting for work, and to send a journey for the last sultan of the Marin Dynasty in Morocco.

As for the Burgundian Crusaders, Ma Youfu's order to them was to garrison Oran, temporarily stand still, and beware of the possible Mulholland coalition forces that may appear in the direction of Tunisia.

It's just that the overjoyed Philip III may not necessarily obey this order.Ma Youfu's suggestion to him is that if you really can't bear it, then attack Tlemcen.If it can be determined in one battle and capture the Sultan of Tlemcen, that would be a great achievement.It's just that the part of the French Crusaders led by Marshal Richmond could not move. If Philip III wanted to launch an attack, he could only use his own Burgundian Crusaders.

After arranging the military affairs properly, Ma Youfu began to stabilize the place and implement the new system.

……

The military operations of the French-Burgundian Crusaders in the Maghreb are in full swing and overwhelming.João I, who was in Seville, together with the King of Castile, was preparing to see off the Iberian Crusaders for the upcoming expedition, did not receive the latest battle situation across the sea until May 25.

"Juan, my friend, look at our army! The knights in shining armor, the spears like a forest, and the sails that are connected together, more than the clouds in the sky!" Joao I stood On the hills overlooking the port of Seville, watch the Portuguese and Castilian coalition forces board and set off.

Even though his body and mind were already old and decayed, King João I was still full of emotion when he saw this magnificent scene.

Joao I's life was full of ups and downs, but it was also magnificent.As an illegitimate son, he finally ascended to the throne of Portugal, created the Avesh Dynasty, and brought Portugal, a small remote country in Europe, on the right path to open up the ocean, and its national strength continued to improve.

He governs the country well, and has three outstanding sons. Portugal's future will be in their hands, and it will get better and better.If before the end of his life, João I could see Portugal conquering Morocco, the sworn enemy across the sea, then he would have no regrets.

But there is nothing perfect in life.

Just as Joao I was about to give his final instructions to the commander of the Portuguese Crusaders, his eldest son and heir to the kingdom, Duarte, suddenly a messenger rushed up the hill.

"Your Highness! Your Highness! It's not good, Ceuta has fallen!" The messenger ran over panting, and presented a blood-stained letter with both hands.

Several people around turned pale with shock, only Juan II was still counting the warships in the port with great interest.

King Joao I tore open the envelope and unfolded the letter paper that was still mixed with sand grains.

After reading the letter, his face became extremely gloomy.

"On May 5, the Moroccan army broke through the fortress west of Ceuta. At this time, the fleet of the Duke of Bar just arrived. He repelled the Moroccans and took over Ceuta." Joao I handed the letter to Duarte.

"Hmph, what a lame excuse."

"Bullshit! The Siris must have betrayed us and launched a surprise attack on Ceuta!"

"Damn traitor! How dare he call himself a crusader?"

After reading the letters one after another, the three princes expressed their views.

"Ceuta's communication circle was probably destroyed at the beginning of the war, so we only received the news today. I don't know how the battle in Morocco is going after four days." Joao I looked worried. color.

Chapter 430 Eight Three Princes

"Father, what can the French do in three or four days? They may not even be able to take Tangier. I remember that Tangier has three thousand defenders, and because it has been attacked by us several times, the city walls there are also well built." It is tall and strong, and it is impossible for the French to take this city easily." Pedro, the second son of Joao I, said, "We can take advantage of the battle of Tangiers to attract the attention of the Moroccans, and turn our attention to the south. Attack Rabat!"

As long as Rabat is captured, the road to Fez is opened eastward.If you are courageous and lucky, you may be able to go straight to Huanglong, capture Huck II who has not yet reacted, and destroy the Moroccan Sultanate in one fell swoop.

However, the third son Henry did not agree with the second brother's suggestion.He shook his head and said, "Brother, I'm afraid you underestimated the French army—to be precise, the army of the Duke of Bar. With the support of the navy, I'm afraid they will soon be able to defeat the Moroccans, who are extremely backward in knowledge about firearms. "

Prince Pedro said unconvinced: "My dear brother, you may have forgotten that my knowledge and experience are far richer than yours. Which big country in Europe have I never been to? In Bohemia, I stood shoulder to shoulder with the Holy Roman Emperor I have seen the chariots of the Hussite heretics. I have also been to Constantinople and Jerusalem, drank wine with the Ottoman sultans, and learned about the original gunpowder weapons from Siris. In my opinion, those black The powder isn't a big deal, and when it comes to actual combat, there are considerable drawbacks."

"Brother, you are knowledgeable and eloquent, and you are an excellent diplomat who is good at dealing with nobles of different beliefs and cultures." Prince Henry said, "However, this is also your limitation. You can't look away Look down and learn about the soldiers rolling in the mud and experience the changes on the battlefield. You are friendly with the Archbishop of Beaufort, and you may know every detail of the contract signed between Britain and France after the Battle of Paris. But you don't know , how the new cannons invested by both sides in this battle have subverted the perception of the battlefield!"

He paused, and continued: "The artillery of the French has become a powerful force that can determine the outcome of a war. Moreover, in the past year, the Duke of Barr has established a large-scale ordnance manufacturing industry in Normandy. The artillery of the French army today may have changed a lot from last year. We must not underestimate the enemy!"

"No matter how powerful the French artillery is, is everyone comparable to a mage who can throw fireballs?" Prince Pedro retorted.