Continental Warriors Yoo Ma

Back then, after Portugal captured Ceuta, they looted for three days and three nights and massacred many innocent people in Mulholland.Afterwards, the Portuguese used Ceuta as a base to fight against pirates and harass the Mulholland caravan traveling to and from Tangier in an attempt to weaken the power of the Moroccan Sultanate.

But none of these practices had much effect.Gains often do not cover military spending.

And because of the blood of pagans on their hands, Portugal can only rule Ceuta with military high pressure, completely unable to use the power of the local people, and collect few taxes.

When Ceuta was attacked by Mayouf's fleet on the night of May 5, in the chaos, many Portuguese soldiers were attacked by the Mulhollans, making it difficult to organize an effective defense.

In addition to the rocket washing the land, the rebellion of the citizens of Ceuta was another big boost to help Ma Youfu capture the city.

After Mayouf occupied Ceuta, he only confiscated the property of the Portuguese, but did not plunder the residents of Mulholland.This sharp contrast immediately made Ma Youfu warmly welcomed in the city and became a legitimate ruler.

Ma Youfu selected five influential Mulholland families in Ceuta as agents to govern the city.After he promulgated the tax reduction order, the city of Ceuta quickly regained its stability, and even thousands of citizens took up arms and demanded to serve the Duke of Bar from France.

Ma Youfu selected the able-bodied ones and formed the "Ceuta Battalion".

Then, a strange scene appeared.

In the camp of the Seven Crusaders of the Mulhollans, a group of "Imperial Association Army" composed of Mulhollans unexpectedly appeared.

Not only in Ceuta, but also in several cities that were conquered later, many impoverished citizens were willing to seek refuge with Ma Youfu in exchange for a salary.

Therefore, after the Ceuta camp, the Tangier camp and the Rabat camp were quickly formed.

Later, Ma Youfu organized these imperial association troops into the "Moroccan Legion".

The Foreign Legion is a French tradition that has to be savored.

Chapter 440 Two Hardcore Horse Blowing

Only a few conflicts occurred in the cities occupied by Ma Youfu, and the casualties were all controlled below a thousand.Moreover, after the chaos, not only could effective governance be quickly established, money, food, and supplies could be collected, but even the local people's loyalty could be obtained and the Imperial Association Army formed.

The Portuguese have ruled Ceuta for 18 years, but they still have to guard against the residents of Mulholland as enemies.

Comparing the two, Pedro will naturally think about a question: Is Portugal's approach wrong?

Ma Youfu's method of supporting local agents for indirect rule and then obtaining local resources through the tax package system is actually not clever, and he is just imitating the rule method of the Ottoman Empire.

At the beginning, Ma Youfu killed a group of local nobles who were loyal to the Marin dynasty, and distributed part of their property to other local forces as a reward for their effectiveness.

But after a long time, Ma Youfu's agent must not be satisfied with the benefits that have been obtained.In order to make up for the loss of taxes paid to Ma Youfu, they will inevitably intensify the exploitation of the bottom farmers.Then it will cause a large number of farmers to die or flee, the countryside will be deserted, and eventually the economy will collapse.

Under the rule of Ottoman, the population in the Middle East did not rise but fell, which is how it came about.

Therefore, this tax package system is just a stopgap measure.When the war is really over and the Maghreb has gained a firm foothold, Ma Youfu will carry out reforms to achieve sustainable fishing... No, it should be called sustainable development.

It's just that even this kind of indirect rule, which is very backward in Ma Youfu's eyes, is more advanced and civilized than the traditional art of burning, killing and looting after the Crusades conquered.

So it's no wonder that Pedro showed a deeply inspired look after listening to Vera's explanation.

After entering the city of Oran, Pedro and Álvaro looked around carefully, and found that this city, which had experienced war not long ago, was filled with pedestrians, business travelers, and all kinds of goods gathered in the bazaar, which was a scene of prosperity .Except for the occasional traces of houses that were blackened by the fire and the towers that were destroyed by shells and have not been repaired in time, there are basically no traces of war here.

Pedro and Alvaro looked at each other, and the shock in their hearts deepened.

The governor of Oran, who fought to the end in the siege of Oran, had already been blasted to pieces by a grape shot, literally "destroyed".The property he left was naturally divided up by the Crusaders, and the Governor's Palace was also requisitioned, and now it has become the temporary palace of Philip III.

Oran is the second largest city in the Sultanate of Tlemcen. Commodities from West Africa converge here through the Sahara trade route, and then are sold by Italian merchants to Alicante, Marseille, Genoa, Venice and other cities.

The governor of Oran sits in this important trading town, so he is naturally rich. The degree of luxury of the Governor's Palace is comparable to that of the Duke's Palace built by Philip III in Dijon.

At the beginning, when Philip III walked into this palace, he always lamented the wealth of the Mulholland people.

Before the Age of Discovery, the world of Mulholland, the transportation hub between East and West, must have been richer than Europe.Not only Philip III, but even those ordinary crusaders who made great contributions in the battle and then got real estate in Oran lamented in letters to their parents: "The houses in Oran City, even the houses of ordinary citizens The one I live in is also spacious, bright, solid, and clean. In comparison, my house in my hometown is just like a stable!"

It was Philip III's illegitimate son Anthony who was in charge of receiving Margaret, Vera, Pedro, and Alvaro, the four distinguished guests, in the Doge's Palace.

Antony was a member of the Order of the Golden Fleece, Count of La Roche and Count of Saint-Menéhould.Because he has a very good relationship with the heir of Burgundy, Charlie the Iron Chief, and it can be said that he has a deep brotherly relationship, so he is the most favored one among the dozen or so illegitimate children of Philip III.

Anthony received a good knight education, not only has skilled military skills, but also learned all kinds of knowledge from the knowledgeable bishops, he can barely be regarded as a talent who can be a general and a minister.This time in the Crusades, Philip III specially took him with him and often entrusted him with important tasks.

"Dear guests, welcome. Please relax in this beautiful palace and enjoy the exotic wine and food." Anthony greeted everyone attentively, "I learned that you are coming to Oran. I have been waiting for you since a week ago. The preparations for the banquet began. The chefs from Dijon specially learned a classic Saracen dish from Genoa's 'Venus Club' - roasted camel."

Compared with Pedro and Alvaro, who were waving their index fingers, the two ladies were not very interested in this kind of meaty and oily hard dish.Vera asked: "Your Excellency Count La Roche, when will the Duke of Barr arrive? And the Duke of Burgundy and the Marshal of the Knights of Richmond. Why didn't I see them?"

"Uh, the Duke of Baal should arrive in Oran in the near future, no more than two weeks at most. My father is still on the front line in Tremsen. The enemy's resistance is unexpectedly tenacious, and it will take time to capture the enemy's capital. As for the Knight Marshal of Richmond, he is now leading [-] French Crusaders and [-] Brittany heavy cavalry to attack Mustaganem. As long as the port city is captured, Tlemcen's sea The line of communication was completely cut off by us.”

Pedro Qi said: "The Duke of Bar's strategy has been adjusted? I thought he deliberately left Mustaganem in order to create a buffer zone so as not to stimulate the coalition forces stationed in Mulholland in Tunisia."

He didn't know that after entering June, the Mulholland coalition forces in Tunisia finally moved after going through all kinds of quarrels.Ottoman Prince Muhammad led 3 Ottoman Jihad troops, and [-] Tunisian troops, a total of [-] people, began to march westward, and now they have arrived in Bejaia, about [-] meters away from Jazair (Algiers in later generations) Less than two hundred kilometers away.

The slogan they shouted was to save the Tlemcen Sultanate.

Now that the enemy has moved, one's own combat strategy must be adjusted accordingly.So Mayouf ordered Marshal Richmond to lead a crusade forward to capture the port of Mustaganem near the border between Tlemcen and Tunisia, and the two cities of Mohammediya.

In this way, the two cities can act like gates, completely sealing off the narrow coastal passage from the coastline to the Atlas Plateau.If Mulholland's army wanted to continue westward to rescue Tlemcen, it would either have to take these two cities hard, or it would have to detour south through the steep high plains.

If they really do this, it will be in Ma Youfu's arms.

No matter how familiar the Mulholland army is with the local terrain, they cannot violate objective laws.Supplies in the mountains are more difficult than those along the coast. If Ma Youfu attacks the enemy's weak supply lines, the Mulholland army will collapse without a fight.

Of course, the premise is that Philip III has to capture Tlemcen as soon as possible.

"After Marshal Shimeng led the army to set off, what about the defense of Oran City?" Alvaro asked.

"There are still two thousand Breton infantry and one thousand Burgundian troops in the city." Anthony said without hesitation.

The two Iberians exchanged glances tacitly, nodded first, and then shook their heads.

Now the defense of Oran City is extremely weak, and the combat effectiveness of two thousand Breton old farmers can basically be ignored. What can a thousand Burgundian troops do?

If the [-] Portuguese-Canadian coalition forces assembled in Seville took the opportunity to raid Oran, and then quickly went south to wipe out the main force of Burgundy under the city of Tlemcen, wouldn't it be possible to reverse the situation in one fell swoop and swallow Tlemcen Sen?

It's just that this thought just passed by in a flash.

The army of the Duke of Baal left a too powerful impression on the two of them.Don't do such a desperate thing.It is the best policy to cooperate with each other honestly.

Anthony didn't know the little thoughts of the two Iberians jumping around. They performed their duties seriously and held a sumptuous welcome dinner for the guests who came from afar.

Pedro and Alvaro didn't drink much because they were going to meet Philip III on the front line of Tlemcen the next day.After the dinner, the two went to visit Vera and Margaret, and gave each of the two ladies a set of exquisite gold jewelry, hoping that they could exert their influence and promote the cooperation between the three countries.

However, the two ladies accepted the things, but did not give a definite promise.

Pedro and Álvaro dared not express their dissatisfaction, nor were they reconciled, so they had the audacity to ask the two ladies to provide some suggestions so that the negotiation could go smoothly.

"Gentlemen, the Duke of Barr is not a harsh and stingy person to his friends. As long as you have a clear understanding of what you can provide and what you want to get, I believe that the two sides will be able to reach a win-win agreement." Vera chuckled lightly.

"My lord duke has wisdom as vast as the ocean, and has all kinds of wonderful ideas from the mysterious east. As long as the two of you don't want to rely on your cleverness to seek undue benefits from your lord duke, he will definitely not let them I will regret it in the future." Margaret said with a look of admiration on the face of Ma Youfu in her mind.

Pedro and Alvaro could see it.These two women are extremely loyal to their lovers, and they have long been "hard-core horse blowers", and there is absolutely nothing to gain from them.

So, the two had no choice but to give up, toss and turn through the night, and set off southward for Tlemcen early the next morning.

Heading southwest from the narrow coastal plain, after passing the magnificent Oran Salt Flats, head south inland.

After a morning's trek, the convoy of the two special envoys left the flat coast and entered the mountainous area composed of basalt hills.

Chapter 440

After arriving at Casa Ibn Senar, a small town built in the fertile valleys, the convoy was refreshed.

The town already existed in Roman times when it was called Albula.Later, when the empire collapsed and the Muhran religion rose, it was changed to an Arabic name.

In another world line that has not changed, the town will be occupied by the Spaniards in the future, and then renamed Ain Temuchant.

For a small town with a population of several thousand, the change of its name records the historical changes of thousands of years, the rise and fall of the empire, it has to be said that it is a very wonderful thing.

After Philip III occupied this place, it was used as a transfer station, responsible for transporting grain and grass materials to the front line of Tlemcen.

On the mountain road leading to Tlemcen, there is also a small town of Benseklan, which also plays the same role.

Although Philip III was not a famous general, the battles he fought in the past were either to quell peasant or citizen rebellions, or to abuse the food bureau, but in this Southern Crusade, he still fought very methodically, did not advance rashly, and always paid attention to it. Protect supply lines.

At night, after the sun had set, the convoy completed the [-]-kilometer mountain road.

Although they knew the road was difficult and traveled lightly, Pedro and Alvaro were still exhausted.

"The climate in the mountains is cooler than on the coast, so we should be able to sleep well tonight," Pedro said.

"It's not time to relax yet, Tlemcen is still fighting." Alvaro looked serious.

Pedro showed a disapproving smile: "Facing the nearly [-] Burgundian army equipped with a large number of artillery, the people of Tlemcen have no chance. What's more, the civil war in Tlemcen ended three years ago. It's in decline. The successor to the Sultan, Ahmed I, is not a wise monarch, and he is still young, so he cannot be an opponent of the Duke of Burgundy."

Who knew that as soon as he finished speaking, there was a loud sound of horseshoes in front of him.Everyone in the convoy suddenly became tense, drew their weapons one after another, and set up a defensive formation under Alvaro's command.

After a while, a group of distraught cavalry ran down the hillside and met Iberia's group.After seeing their respective flags clearly with the light of the fluttering torches, the tense atmosphere quickly disappeared.

"Pedro, my friend, welcome. It's a pity that I greet you in such a mess." Philip III sat on the horse and smiled wryly.

On his gorgeous full-body plate armor of Milan, which is shiny silver and shiny, and has been treated with gilt trim, there are traces of knives and spears everywhere, and two arrows are inserted danglingly at the joint between the shoulder armor and the breastplate. .

Fortunately, this set of armor is indeed of good quality, and it is also enchanted with several protective spells, so Philip III looked embarrassed, but he was not injured.

The Burgundian knights who followed him were also in a similar state, and the most seriously injured was only a thigh injury.

Pedro looked envious and jealous, and couldn't help but sigh in his heart: Damn Burgundy local tyrant, if he is willing to spend so much money on weapons and equipment, won't he be invincible forever?

Alvaro on the side was more concerned about the battle situation, and after talking with Philip III, he realized what had happened before, which led to the Duke of Burgundy's embarrassing escape.

The Tlemcen Sultanate is indeed weak and divided as reported in the intelligence.After Philip III captured the Port of Oran, he rested for a day, and then attacked the city of Tlemcen to the south along the route that Pedro and his men traveled a lot today.There was no resistance along the way, and when the soldiers approached the city, Ahmed I, Sultan of Tlemcen, summoned [-] soldiers to defend the capital.

It stands to reason that the Burgundian army, which has the advantage of artillery, can quickly take the city.Who knows that today, Philip III still has not achieved decisive results.

The main reason for this situation is that the commander of the garrison of Tlemcen, Rashid Isad, fought very heroically.

This emir is a warlock who has been blessed by the legendary earth element and can use various spells to manipulate mud, earth, sand, and stone.

Whenever Burgundian cannons destroyed a section of the walls of Tlemcen, Rashid immediately cast spells to repair the walls.

Therefore, what should have been a blitzkrieg that should have been a concentrated artillery bombardment of the city wall, and then the heavy armored foot knights as the vanguard, quickly rushed into the city to capture the Sultan, turned into a protracted battle relying on gunpowder and shells to consume Rashid's magic power.

A person's body has limits.After several weeks of indiscriminate bombardment, Rashid's mana burden became more and more serious, and the frequency of casting spells dropped significantly.If it continues, Rashid will either have to watch the Burgundians rush into the city wall that he has not had time to repair, and enter the city.Or, due to excessive use of spells, the magic power will be backlashed and the body will disintegrate.

Rashid naturally did not want to sit still.Just after dark today, he launched a counterattack.

He used the spell to create a sandstorm.Then organized a cavalry composed of elite Mulholland warriors, under the cover of a sandstorm, launched a surprise attack on the Burgundy artillery positions.

At that time, Philip III was inspecting the artillery position, encouraging the artillery to continue to attack and blast through the walls of Tlemcen as soon as possible.

After being attacked, Philip III was escorted by the guards and ran out in a panic.But the artillery units suffered heavy losses.

Not only did many gunners die tragically under the Mulholland scimitar, but the large-caliber stone-shooting gun built by Philip III with a lot of money was also destroyed.

The Burgundian Crusaders still have many artillery in the Port of Oran.But it is not easy to transport the new artillery to the city of Tlemcen.

With the road conditions of this era, coupled with the rugged terrain of the mountains, the transportation of several tons of cannons, as well as the accompanying shells and gunpowder, has become a nightmare task for the logistical forces.

Even Ma Youfu's artillery has been greatly optimized in terms of mobility and light weight, and its combat effectiveness will be greatly reduced when fighting in mountainous areas, and sometimes it will even become a burden to infantry units.

Ma Youfu stipulated that when fighting on the plains, an infantry regiment must be equipped with at least twelve artillery pieces for support.But when fighting in the mountains, the number of supporting artillery was reduced to four.This is the trade-off that had to be made in consideration of the adverse impact of mountains on logistics.