Continental Warriors Yoo Ma

The Mamluks who own the Nubian worm are the leaders of this plan, so even though their status is higher than Mustain, Muhammad lowered his posture and often took the initiative to visit this orc general.

Soon after, several lightly armed Egyptian cavalry returned to the camp and reported the results of their investigation to the two commanders.

"Your Highness, an army of about 1000 men has entered Mustaganem."

"How well equipped are they?"

"The infantry all wear helmets and half-plate armor unique to Europeans, and the cavalry has better armor. There are at least two hundred musketeers in the army, and they also carry four cannons and a lot of luggage."

Muhammad and Mustain looked at each other and came to the same conclusion: this is the elite troops under Mayouf's command.

"Your Highness, it seems that what you are most worried about has not happened. The opponent is just switching defenses, just like what happened a few times before." Mustaine laughed.

In recent days, the mobilization of Crusaders has become more frequent.At first, Muhammad and the others were a little worried about whether their secret plan had been exposed, but later they discovered that the opponent was just changing defenses.Whether it is Mustaganem or Mohammedia, the total strength of the defenders has not changed.

"These crusaders have been fighting outside all year round, their morale is low, and they can no longer stay on the front line. That's why Ma Youfu used this method to appease the soldiers. Those soldiers who were replaced had to rely on alcohol and women to cheer up in the rear. Such How can the weak compare to us tough and tenacious true god fighters?"

As a senior nobleman and commander of the Sipathi cavalry, Cihangir Pasha was entitled to accompany Prince Muhammad.After listening to the scout's report, he couldn't help saying proudly.

Prince Osman ignored the overly optimistic speech of his subordinates, and continued to discuss with Mustain: "Since the Crusaders have not discovered our plan, let's continue to implement the plan. When the third Nubian worm arrives, The speed of getting through the mountain road will be further accelerated.”

Ma Youfu had indeed guessed the opponent's battle plan quite closely.

It's just that he didn't expect it at all.

That is, a Nubian worm has been at work since the day the Mamluk army arrived at Mustaganem.What Bernard discovered during his mission last time was actually the second Nubian worm.In a few days, the third Nubian worm will also arrive on a specially modified ship.

When the time comes, the three Nubian worms will work at the same time, and the scheduled plan will be completed soon.

Although Ma Youfu called this giant creature a "biological shield machine", in actual use, the Nubian worm cannot really be used to drill holes.

To dig dozens of kilometers of tunnels for the army to travel together, the amount of work is too large, even the Nubian worm cannot be completed in a short period of time.

To drive Nubian worms away, human beings need to perform a series of complicated psychic magic rituals, and use a lot of precious magic materials every day to make medicines to control Nubian worms.

Even the wealthy Mamluks cannot afford this kind of long-term consumption.

Therefore, the most feasible way is to choose a hidden path in the Atlas Mountains, and then use the powerful power of the Nubian worm to widen the path and open up key nodes, quickly creating a large road that can allow the army to pass .

Doing so, taking into account cost and confidentiality, is the best choice.

Covered by the Atlas Mountains, unless the enemy could observe from the sky, the plan would be invisible.

The Atlas Mountains that traverse the entire Maghreb region can be divided into three parts: the Greater Atlas Mountains in Morocco, the Tell Atlas Mountains near the coast of Tlemcen, and the desert in the south Sahara Atlas Mountains.

The marching route planned by Muhammad and Mustain is to start from the Said Jalala Pass in the northeast of Muhammadia, cross the Taylor Atlas Mountains westward, and enter the mountain between the Taylor Atlas Mountains and the Basin between the mountains of the Sahara Atlas.

This intermountain basin is flat, with fertile land and abundant water resources. There is also a city with a population of more than 2 called Sidi Bel Abbes.

The city is named after a Mulholland religious teacher who was buried here. It is rich in vegetables, fruits and grains, especially grapes.

Although the plan to attack Oran seems a bit risky, if Sidi Bel Abbes is occupied, then the Mulholland coalition forces will be invincible.

Because even if the sneak attack fails, the army can calmly retreat into the defense of Sidi Bel Abes, and transport supplies and reinforcements from the rear through the avenue opened by the Mbia worm.In this way, it is possible to continue to threaten the Port of Oran from the south.The two fortresses of Mustaganem and Muhammadia that Mayouf spent a lot of effort on building completely lost their meaning.

Moreover, in addition to going north to attack the Port of Oran, the Mulholland coalition forces can also choose to go west.The city of Tlemcen is less than [-] kilometers away from Sidi Bel Abbes.

If Tlemcen is successfully captured, Mustain even plans to continue westward, regain Oujda, and invade Morocco.

At that time, if the Crusaders want to launch a counterattack, they can only give up the advantage of coastal supplies, go deep into the unfamiliar inland mountains, and fight the Mamluk and Ottoman troops in a state of complete hostility among the local people.If Ma Youfu really used this stupid trick of using one's own weaknesses to attack the other's strengths, the two leaders would probably laugh out loud with joy.

Mayouf also knew that Sidi Bel Abbes City was a key point.After France colonized Algeria in later generations, it placed the headquarters of the Foreign Legion here, which shows its strategic importance.

After the surrender of the Sultan of Tlemcen, he advised Philip III to manage the eastern gateway of the city of Tlemcen well.

Philip III did listen to this suggestion, and sent his most valued illegitimate son Anthony to Sidi Bel Abbes, and stationed an army of more than 5000 people.

Chapter 470 Three Ottoman Cannons

But the key issue is that when the Sultan of Tlemcen surrendered, although the nobles in other places also surrendered, it was only out of interest considerations, "following the trend and changing flags", and there was no loyalty to the new crusader rulers at all.

Originally, if governance was carried out according to the set of measures formulated by Ma Youfu, the rule of the Crusaders would be stabilized in three to five years.However, the Tlemcen Sultanate was assigned to the sphere of influence of Philip III before the war, and Ma Youfu did not want to intervene too much.And the overjoyed Duke of Burgundy, after winning a brilliant victory and realizing his long-cherished wish, was a little bit drifting, and made a series of dizzy tricks, shaking the good situation.

Today, Sidi Bel Abbes is still under the control of Burgundy, but the surrounding villages are all controlled by the rebels.

Philip III's favorite illegitimate son Anthony, as the general of the garrison, did not dare to go out of the city to pay the rebels easily.He has tried his best to defend the city and maintain the line of communication with Tlemcen.

One can imagine the consequences if one encounters the Mulholland coalition forces that seem to have fallen from the sky in such a situation where the eyes are smeared.

Not the same as poor Anthony.With the assistance provided by the rebels, Mustain and Prince Muhammad knew the situation of Sidi Bel Abes well, even the news that Anthony had a headache these days because he was not used to the plateau environment. .

They believed that with the advantage of a sudden attack and the cooperation of the local people, they would definitely be able to capture Sidi Bel Abbes, the jewel of the plateau, easily.

Then lead the army northward, and use Nubian worms to break through another road in the Tell Atlas Mountains, so that heavy equipment such as troops and cannons can easily cross this mountainous area with an average altitude of about 600 meters.

At that time, it was time to rush to the city of Oran and shout "surprise, Mare Falke" to that Sirisian.

Well, Mulholland people don't know this English swearing.But it makes sense.

As time went on, Mustain's plans were well under way.With the full cooperation of the Ottoman allies, the first section of the mountain road from the Said Jalala Pass to Bugiba Village was successfully opened.

While the worm servants were busy appeasing the tired giant worms, the Mamluk and Ottoman cavalry rushed out, galloping all the way on the mountain plateau, and quickly sent the still ignorant city of Sidi Bel Abbes to surrounded.

After the initial panic, Antony began to mobilize troops and organize defenses.However, there was no messenger circle in the city, and messengers could not be sent out, so it was impossible for his father, Philip III, and Ma Youfu to know the news of the city's siege in the first place.

That night, after the main infantry of the Mulholland coalition arrived, they began to attack the city.

The city wall of Sidi Bel Abbes is low and in disrepair. Even if the most traditional method is used to fill it with human life, it is not difficult to capture the city.What's more, in addition to having internal help, the Mulholland coalition forces also prepared secret weapons.

As far as the use of firearms is concerned, the Mulholland world is not behind Europe.Even because it is geographically closer to the East and can more easily obtain new technologies from the birthplace of gunpowder, it is even ahead of the Europeans in some firearms fields.It’s just that Ma Youfu, a traveler, was there, so in this southern crusade, the Mulholland coalition forces—especially the stone-shooting guns that the Ottomans were originally proud of—looked cumbersome and lagged behind. .

If you suffer a loss and get beaten, you have to think about how to catch up.

In a short period of time, it is not realistic to create a new type of cannon with sufficient performance to be able to confront Mayouf's artillery and gain the upper hand.

However, after fully realizing the ability of artillery as a new weapon to change the battlefield situation, the Mulholland coalition forces still made some innovations.

The Ottoman court mages under the command of Prince Mohammed have figured out many ways to use magic to transform the existing stone shooting guns to make them have better performance.

Although the Ottomans who love cannons have not created monsters of the same level as the urban cannons of later generations, the cannons that Prince Mohammed brought to the Maghreb from the cannon foundry in Edirne this time are also heavy A big guy weighing four or five tons and firing two hundred-pound shells.

This kind of artillery far exceeds the French artillery, at least in terms of power.It's just that it is completely behind in terms of mobility, rate of fire, and ease of use.

In the case of inferior technology to their opponents, the Ottoman court mages relied on magic to make up for the shortcomings of many heavy stone-shooting cannons.By holding a large-scale magic ceremony, they applied the feathering and shrinking techniques to the stone-shooting cannon, which can greatly reduce the weight of the stone-shooting cannon and reduce its volume within twelve hours.

In this way, coupled with the sand beast purchased from Egypt, this heavy artillery can be quickly transported to the city of Sidi Bel Abbes through the road opened up by the Nubian worm, across mountains and mountains.

Prince Mohammed used a total of three heavy stone-shooting guns to participate in the battle.Including the cost of holding the magic ceremony, the transportation cost alone was more than [-] ducats, enough to manufacture six six-pound field cavalry cannons, which are the most commonly used in Ma Youfu's artillery unit.

In addition to using magic to temporarily reduce the weight of the stone-shooting cannons, the Ottoman court mages also enchanted the three heavy-duty stone-shooting cannons with spells that permanently increased the accuracy and strength of the cannons by engraving runes and engravings.

For this reason, the gold coins spent by Prince Muhammad are enough to build many more stone-shooting cannons.If it wasn't for achieving a special strategic goal, he wouldn't have invested so much regardless of cost.

Ma Youfu has already verified this conclusion with practice in Rouen, and also witnessed the bet between the dwarf master Oli Longbeard and Jean Bro.Relying on magic to improve the performance of artillery is a very low cost-effective way.Unless there is a special need, otherwise it is not worth the candle.

However, Prince Mohammed's investment has paid off.

Under the bombardment of these three magic-strengthened stone-shooting cannons, the city wall of Sidi Bel Abbes lasted for less than an hour before being bombarded with multiple gaps.

There is no suspense in the siege battle.

Finally, when Cihangir Pasha stood on the wall, waving his bloody golden scimitar with one hand, and throwing Anthony's head off the wall with the other, the Burgundian defenders suddenly lost their will to fight. Amid the cheers, he abandoned his weapons and surrendered.

"Haha, by God, tonight's battle was even more refreshing than drinking a bottle of iced 'juice' in hot weather! It's a pity that I didn't kill a few more heretics!" Jihangir laughed wantonly.

During the banquet for the Crusaders envoy, the fact that he acted without authorization and wanted to kill the envoy, but was forced to retreat by Santleyer, had already spread in the army and brought him a bad reputation.

Wherever Jihangir went, he felt that someone was throwing mocking glances at him.

Now, in the siege of Sidi Bel Abbes, he undoubtedly made the first contribution, killing the enemy commander, a solid knight with multiple earl titles - I heard that the opponent was still Burgundy The illegitimate son of the Duke.

Jihangir felt a little regretful, he was too eager to kill and failed to capture Anthony alive, so he lost a large amount of ransom.It's just that the honor and prestige brought by killing the opponent may be enough to make up for the material loss.

Anyway, this battle also captured many Burgundian nobles, enough to make a lot of money.

During the Third Crusade, Saladin, who was praised by Europeans as "the most chivalrous monarch", although he was very particular about dealing with European nobles, he was ruthless when dealing with ordinary European captives. Be a slave.

Things like "politeness" and "chivalry" are only applicable to noble rulers of the same class.This is a practice that applies to both the Seven Saints and the Mulholran.

This time, when dealing with the Burgundian captives in the city of Sidi Bel Abbes, the Mamluk generals and the Ottoman princes also adopted a method similar to that of Saladin.

Wealthy Burgundian nobles could eat and drink well while waiting for their families to pay ransom for their freedom.Ordinary crusaders were all reduced to slaves, and began to carry out the arduous project of digging roads under the drive of the whip.

To open up a spacious and flat road in the mountains, Nubian worms alone are not enough. Sometimes, people have to fill it in.

After achieving a big victory, the Mamluks and Ottomans seized the time to mobilize troops from the rear to Sidi Bel Abbes, preparing to go north through the Taylor Atlas Mountains and attack the Port of Oran.

For this reason, the two commanders transferred half of the garrisons in the two military camps outside the city, Mohammedia and Mustaganem.

A total of 3 Ottoman troops, [-] Mamluk troops, plus [-] rebels gathered from all over the mountains, a total of [-] people, assembled in Sidi Bel Abbes.

A week later, four hundred Crusader prisoners were consumed.A Nubian worm was driven insane from intensive labor and had to be killed before it could cause further damage.This accident also caused a worm to make the soul of the worm go crazy and go crazy.

After paying such a terrible price, the road from south to north through Mount Taylor Atlas was finally opened.

After leaving 2000 people stationed in Sidi Bel Abbes, the Mulholland coalition officially set off.

It took only one day for an army of [-] to pass through the Atlas Mountains of Taylor.

As the vanguard, Jihangir Pasha led the Sipasi cavalry to rush out of the mountain pass, and he could already overlook the vast Oran Salt Marsh with an area of ​​hundreds of square kilometers in the distance.

To the north of this salt marsh is the Port of Oran.

"Brothers, there is a small village called Tamzula at the foot of the mountain. Let's go there to drink water, take a rest, and continue to attack north! The enemy must not expect us to attack from the south. There is no large army around the city of Oran. , there are only some small troops for investigation and security. It is our task to kill these small flies in the way and ensure that the army reaches the city of Oran smoothly! His Royal Highness has promised that our Sipasi cavalry will be the first to enter the city of Oran. For three days!"

"Long live Your Highness!"

"The true God is great!"

"Kill all the heretics!"

The excited shouts of the cavalry echoed in the valley.

Chapter 470 Cannons and Stone Walls

Jihangir Pasha led the Sipasi cavalry and galloped towards the valley entrance.

When he thought about the joy of killing and the countless trophies he could get with the scimitar in his hand, he became extremely excited, and his blood seemed to be boiling.

As one of the important Ottoman ministers who participated in this jihad, Cihangir naturally knew that Prince Muhammad was too cautious in making decisions in order to preserve his own strength, and even often had the idea of ​​making peace with Mayouf.This is also another point of contradiction between him and the other party besides Janiceri.

The Ottoman ruling class has two major factions, eastward and westward, in terms of the direction of external expansion.

Jihangir Pasha is the most radical and die-hard western movement. He believes that all pagan countries that believe in the Seven Sacred Religions and the Orthodox Sacred Religion should be conquered by force.

This time, he came to the remote Maghreb from Anatolia to participate in the jihad to defend the brotherly country and the holy mountain in the name of the true God. Jihangir Pasha believed that there should be no diplomatic means for the Crusaders at all. Dealing with ideas.The only way to respond to those intruders is a sharp machete!

If the port of Oran can be successfully captured this time, Cihangir decided to play a big game and kill all the Crusader prisoners below the earl.In addition, although the leader of the French Crusade, Mayouf from Seres, had many titles and the ransom must be high, Cihangir still did not decide to spare his life.