Chapter 10 The War Is Coming

Five months had passed since the meeting with Napoleon, and Constantiniere had turned from the cold winter to summer. Anna had returned to Oxford University at the end of February to continue her music degree. ₆₉ₛₕᵤₓ.cₒₘ

Considering that the Russo-Turkish War would begin in August this year, Selim wrote a letter to Sophia asking her to look after the girl during the summer vacation.

By the way, Sophia also replied with a very interesting letter: "Dear Selim, I learned from Anna that the summer in Istanbul is very hot. Perhaps the weather in London is more suitable for you. Buckingham Palace has extra rooms. Of course, Holyrood Palace in Edinburgh is also open to you.

Your loyal Sophia

The little girl is quite arrogant. She wants to go to see her herself, but she won't say it clearly.

However, Selim is destined to have no time. The Russo-Turkish War is about to start. Not to mention that there are many things to deal with. Even if all his subordinates are 007, working overtime and trying their best to share the worries of the Sultan, Selim will never leave Constantinieh at this time, leaving the power center of the empire, so Sophia's little thoughts are destined to fail.

"Paul, have General Bonaparte, Hussein Pasha, Hassan Pasha, Yusuf Pasha, Ali Pasha and the Grand Mufti arrived? Bring them in. "Before he finished speaking, everyone had already walked in. They came here to discuss the war plan against Russia.

"Everyone, I have decided to declare war on Russia on August 8. The entire war against Russia is divided into three major war zones, namely the Serbian War Zone, the Romanian War Zone, and the Caucasus War Zone. Considering that the Austrians are likely to intervene, I will personally sit in the Serbian War Zone for defense. General Napoleon will sit in the Romanian War Zone, with Hussein as his deputy, to face the Russian army head-on. The Caucasus region will focus on defense and will be handed over to Ali Pasha, the chief of the Guards. "

Selim said seriously: "Please note that the purpose of this war is not to take back the Caucasus and Crimea. We have only one purpose, to beat the Russians and let the world understand that the Ottoman Empire was not only in the past, but also now is Allah's sharpest sword.

After listening to Selim's speech, Napoleon began to explain his strategic deployment: "Considering your Majesty's war purpose and the empire's poor logistics system and army, our main policy in the early stage of the war is to launch a feint attack, harass the Russian border area, and then pretend to retreat. Then take a defensive position and gradually abandon some towns to lure the Russians deep into the empire and stretch the Russian supply line. Of course, in order to prevent the Russians from resupplying by sea, Hassan Pasha needs to be responsible for the blockade of the coastline."

Looking at the reactions of the crowd, Napoleon then elaborated on his battle plan: "Based on past experience, the Russians will inevitably put their main force on the Moldova line, so Ali Pasha, what you have to do is to keep an eye on the Caucasus region. And I will fight the Russian army after it is exhausted enough and completely defeat them."

"Bonaparte, what is the place of the decisive battle you chose?" Hussein asked, "Izmail Fortress, I will arrange Muhammad Ali to guard here to exhaust the Russian army, as for you, you need to lead the troops to cut off the Russian supply line. Of course, whether you succeed or not, I will launch a decisive battle." Napoleon responded.

"This French lieutenant, you mean to let the empire abandon Moldova, hand over the solid Ochakov Fortress, and let the Russian army insert into the heart of the empire."

Ali Pasha, who has always had no sense of existence, dared to question others. Selim simply couldn't handle it.

However, Selim did not intend to stop Ali Pasha. It was not good to prepare for war to suppress the voice of the Guards too much. Besides, Ali Pasha was not a person who liked to fight for power.

If Napoleon could convince him, the Guards would be more convenient to use.

"Ali Pasha, you need to understand that the Sultan's army is not enough to defeat the Russian army. If you choose to attack, you are doomed to gain nothing. According to your idea, you want to occupy Jinbuen and go north along the Dnieper River, right?"

Ali Pasha did not speak, but nodded. This was not only his suggestion, but also the advice of most officers in the Guards except Aladdin.

"Then let's deduce that to complete your plan, you need to coordinate the navy and the army, but I have never seen you conduct relevant exercises." Napoleon said, tapping the table with a pen.

"Even if it succeeds, the subsequent supplies and troops need to be shipped by sea, which not only increases the logistical burden, but also means that the navy must always control the Black Sea. Do you think the Ottoman Empire without Crimea can do it?"

"And if it fails, it will not only delay the time for the army to go north to harass the Russian border, resulting in insufficient weakening of Russia's logistics capabilities, but also remind the Russians to assemble troops at a faster speed. At that time, our pretended retreat is likely to become a major defeat. Can you bear such consequences?"

"Finally, if you fight a decisive battle with the Russian army at the beginning, facing an army that fights to defend the motherland and has guaranteed logistics, can you be sure to win?"

Faced with Napoleon's three soul-searching questions, Ali Pasha's response was only a wry smile. What can he do?

The reason why he can become the chief of the Guards is because the Sultan sees his ability to smooth things over.

But he couldn't completely ignore the opinions of the guards. He had just married a new wife, his youngest daughter was only three years old, and he had an old mother at home. You know, the guards would really kill people when they got angry.

In fact, Selim could also guess Ali Pasha's difficulties, but he liked to watch this kind of scene.

However, play ends and trouble ends, the Sultan still has to clean up this mess, otherwise it will not be conducive to the unity within the ruling class, although the Guards will soon disappear in Selim's plan.

"Okay, okay, let's do this. The Army, Navy, New Army, Grand Vizier, and Grand Mufti each have one vote. Let's vote to resolve it. How about that?"

Everyone looked at each other in confusion, why would the Sultan make such a proposal? Shouldn't the matter be decided with a wave of your hand and taking the blame?

Selim didn't explain, he just looked at the participants with a smile. In the end, Napoleon's plan passed with four votes in favor and one against.

In fact, this may indeed be the best plan for the Ottoman Empire. It can not only thwart the Russian offensive through strong walls and clear the country, but also compare the greatness of the Ottoman Empire through the atrocities of the Russian army. Most importantly, fighting this kind of war , Napoleon is guaranteed to win.

As for whether Napoleon's guarantee is trustworthy, Selim is not worried at all. Ever since he came into contact with this historical military god, Selim has understood one thing. Combat experience can be accumulated, but combat intuition is not a thing. It's something you're born with, you can't learn it.

So, with Napoleon on Selim's side, who would the Russians have to send to do the job?

Whether it is Rumyantsev or Suvorov, who can say that he will win surely against Napoleon?

Not to mention that Potemkin and Rumyantsev had a very unpleasant quarrel in the original time and space, and even used their bed relationship to squeeze each other away.

As for Suvorov, the force he commanded at the beginning of the war was a partial division of only 5,000 men. On the other hand, Napoleon had one division of the Guards, two brigades of the New Army, and 150,000 Guards troops.

In this kind of tailwind situation, Napoleon can hang Suvorov under a hammer.

As for Potemkin, haha, putting him here is a waste of money. Ekaterina is where he should be.

There was no need to consider Repnin and Kutuzov in the future. Selim had no intention of fighting until 1791. The reason was simple: he did not have so much money.

"So, Nahuang's product must be a high-quality product. It not only solves military problems, but also solves economic problems. Of course, this is also because I have farsightedness and poached the future military god in advance." Selim I felt happy in my heart.

After dealing with the rebellious Ali Pasha, Napoleon continued to unfold his magnificent war picture: "Hasan Pasha, Ochakov Fortress is also an important part of this war. The longer it is defended, the more it will be consumed. The Russian army will be more beneficial to the final battle, so please ensure the sea supply to Ochakov Fortress. In addition, if the Russian army's losses in the Battle of Izmail are large enough, I will. Go north to pursue the Russian army. During this period, please ensure that you control the coastline on the northern coast of the Black Sea. "

"The next ones are the Grand Vizier and the Grand Mufti. Before I lead my army to retreat, please make sure that you complete the fortification and clearing of the country. The residents can ignore it, but the food must be taken away. Please also prepare the supplies for later shipping in advance."

At this point, Napoleon finally ended his discussion, and compared to the solemnity of others, the Sultan seemed very indifferent, "Now that the policy has been set, you can go and implement it, and the meeting is dismissed. Ali Pasha stays."

Topkapi Palace, in the garden of the first courtyard, Selim and Ali Pasha are walking. "Your Majesty, I think I am no longer suitable as the commander-in-chief of the Guards. I hope you can allow me to step down and let me spend my remaining years in peace."

Listening to Ali's request, Selim almost laughed out loud. After being the commander-in-chief of the Guards for several years, he collected a lot of money every year. I really thought that these things could be offset by just making peace with each other. When I really want to use you, I'll just play tricks on the Sultan, right?

However, Selim was too lazy to expose him, and just smiled and said: "Dear Ali, you have to understand that Yusuf Pasha and Hassan Pasha are already eighty years old, but they are still fighting for the revival of the empire. , but I can’t see this spirit in you, do you understand?”

After Selim said this, he didn't leave without turning his head. He knew that Ali was a smart man and would make the right choice.

Ali Pasha, who stayed where he was, was silent for a while, sighed, and left with a wry smile.

This chapter involves the details of the Russian-Turkish War, so it is not that easy to understand. You can join the book club group: 866261215. I will post pictures of the Russian-Turkish War in the original time and space in the group.