After Turena returned home, after reviewing the relevant battles after he left over the years and his assessment of Spain's national and military power, Turena believed that one hundred thousand troops would be needed to defeat Spain.
To accomplish the grand goal of wiping out Spain's old enemy as soon as possible, at least 150,000 troops would be needed, and additional cooperation from the Ming Empire would be required. Otherwise, the French team would have to send 200,000 troops.
Louis XIV had complete trust in Turenne and did not underestimate the enemy, because the Spanish Empire was indeed a behemoth. Even if France and the Ming Empire joined forces, it would take a lot of effort to win.
Before the war began, the French army's assembled troops in Toulouse, located in the Pyrenees and on the second line, had reached 100,000.
There are 30,000 troops on the Western Front and 70,000 troops on the Eastern Front. The ratio is somewhat uncoordinated.
This is exactly Turena's tactical deployment. The offense must be planned and followed.
Moreover, some garrison troops with little combat effectiveness were only symbolically deployed in the middle, hoping that the opponent would launch an attack from now on.
After learning that 50,000 follow-up troops were about to arrive at the front line, Turenne mobilized all second-line troops.
The purpose is to form an absolutely superior force in the main direction of attack, and also have D'Estre's fleet to cover it.
Turena was not worried that the Spaniards would launch an active attack, which would save him trouble.
It's a pity that Boudes, the hero who defended Paris, has scared the Spaniards, and now they no longer dare to confront the French army head-on.
Now, if he had not come to die, no Spanish general would dare to lead his troops to fight deep into the heart of France.
Because the result waiting for them is to be severely damaged or even annihilated!
Since the failed raid on Paris, the Spaniards have never launched a similar attack again.
"You are so prepared!"
D'Estre didn't understand Turenne's intention of asking him to recruit Min Fu before, but when he saw it with his own eyes, he was completely convinced.
"Since this land is about to be owned by France, I think the French farmers have the right to harvest the crops on it!"
There was no need for so many people to besiege Barcelona, so Turena divided the remaining people into several troops, with battalions as units, to protect Nongmin nearby and harvest the wheat from the Spanish fields.
The time to launch the attack was October. Spain, located in southern Europe, was not cold at all at this time, which was the best time to harvest wheat.
If you encounter the Western Army during harvesting and a fierce battle breaks out between the two sides, you can completely burn the wheat fields.
Anyway, food can be transported from the mainland. With control of the sea, our troops are not afraid of running out of food.
"All your cavalry will arrive on the battlefield within the next few days!"
With not a single enemy ship in sight at sea, d'Estre's task became very simple, that is, to transport his own cavalry.
The journey is not too far, it just starts from Perpignan and goes around Cape Creus and Rosas Bay.
"That's great!"
Turenne did not order the troops to advance towards the hinterland, but was waiting for his own cavalry to arrive in Barcelona one after another.
If you have tanks and cavalry, and airships in the sky to detect the enemy's situation, you can quickly take the initiative on the battlefield.
The emperor of the Ming Empire used this tactic to deal with the Tatar cavalry groups during the Northern Expedition, and he could also copy it.
Soon, Barcelona will become a lonely city!
Not only were those agricultural miners used to harvest wheat, but after they were full, they could also be dug into trenches to block the defenders in the city from communicating with the outside world.
This is how the Tatars dealt with the Ming army in Jinzhou City. Now the situation has changed and they have become the party attacking the city, but the method can still be used.
Maybe the Spanish defenders haven't tasted the "wonderful taste" of this method, that would be great...
There is no need to aim too high in the short term. While besieging Barcelona, go to Zaragoza.
That is to concentrate the troops, besiege the city, and then look for opportunities to besiege the city and bring reinforcements.
If the Spanish reinforcements do not arrive in the short term, our troops can harvest all the surrounding farmland to support the war.
Spain in October is neither cold nor hot, which is perfect for a battlefield.
Zheng Jun endured the biting northwest wind in the Northeastern battlefield, and endured mosquito swarms in the Myanmar battlefield.
It was the first time to fight in such a comfortable place, so that the whole army felt a little incredible.
If I had known that this kind of place was so good, the prince should have brought everyone here earlier!
After marching westward from the landing site, Zheng Jun encountered almost no decent resistance in the first three days.
The reason that Zheng Jun slowed down his advance was the endless wheat fields. It would be a pity not to harvest them...
Zheng Chenggong knew that the supply line from Valencia to Madrid was very fragile, and Zheng Zhouying could not guarantee the safety of the supply line.
Fighting to support war became the most realistic way to supply the army, so Zheng Chenggong came up with the idea of harvesting wheat.
The tactics of "expensive troops and quick speed" are no longer suitable for the current situation, and attacking Madrid is only one of the ways to eliminate Spain.
If you can give the enemy enough time to gather a lot of troops, you can lead your troops there and kill them all in one fell swoop.
Zheng Chenggong didn't believe that he would repeat the mistakes in the book of heaven when he had absolute superior firepower.
It doesn't matter if the advance speed is slower, let's see what Xiyi can do to him!
Because Zheng's family was wealthy and Zheng Zhilong was willing to spend money on his son, Zheng Chenggong never suffered a loss in terms of food when he led his troops in battles.
Following Emperor Haojing's Northern Expedition, the entire army's logistics supplies were consistent, and Zheng Chenggong did not need to worry about this.
It wasn't until I got to the battlefield in Myanmar and needed to manage this aspect that I realized it was a troublesome matter.
Although Zheng Jun currently carries a lot of cans, biscuits, and instant noodles, they were transported from thousands of miles away.
Being able to source local materials can save expensive military rations. Besides, eating the enemy's food can lead to death...
When sailing at sea, the diet of the entire fleet is rationed.
Zheng Chenggong trained under Emperor Hao Jing in his early years and has always been strict with himself. When he grew up, he was no exception in this regard.
Now we arrived in Spain. This place was not the territory of our ally France, and the mission of this trip was to destroy the country, so the whole army could eat with ease.
Not only food, but also whatever you can find in the surrounding areas.
For example, poultry, livestock, etc., except for mules, horses, donkeys and oxen that can pull carts, other living animals can be stewed in the pot.
Especially the vicious dogs that grinned at Zheng Jun's officers and soldiers. Basically, they would be killed on the spot if they saw them.
Whether to put it in the pot depends on the condition of the dog...
If you find that there is ready-made glutinous rice flour in the granary, you don’t have to go to the fields to harvest crops.
All requisitioned, the owner can report to the beach.
There is no doubt that the family will live happily in the mining area in the future!
What does it feel like to do whatever you want?
You can experience it in the Spanish battlefield~!
Is this cruel?
No!
This is what Xiyi did in the Jiangnan area of Ming Dynasty, but now it can only be regarded as retribution.
Zheng Chenggong asked the entire army to be resolute, thorough and merciless in this operation!
Only in this way can we eliminate the Western rebels along the way and finally eliminate this disease-like country!
The Master said that both Spain and England are epidemic diseases in the world, and disease will occur wherever they are infected.
There is only one way to do this, and that is to eliminate the source of the infection!
Zheng Jun's superiors and subordinates do not need to worry about their own actions, as the imperial court is responsible for everything.
The local practice of "killing good people and taking credit for their merits" does not exist at all on the Spanish battlefield.
The more you kill, the greater your harvest will be. If you don't make any money, it just means you haven't done anything.
As long as there is a young and beautiful Yangma in the family, the family can survive as long as they do not resist.
If Dayang Ma can dress Zheng's soldiers well, he will not only be able to save his family's lives, but also be able to live comfortably.
On the contrary, except for Yangma, all of them are going to see their gods.
Ocean horses have to be reduced to the lowest slaves for everyone's entertainment.
As long as it does not affect normal operations, Zheng Chenggong will not deliberately ask his subordinates to tighten their nerves at all times.
After collecting some of the Ocean Horses, they will be sent to the seaside by the cavalry, where the sailors also need to relax.
According to the current pace of advancing troops, it may take more than a month, or even two months, to reach the gates of Madrid.
Zheng Chenggong had no worries that the Western Yi would surrender to the French army first, and the two sides had already divided the war zone.
Even if the Western Yi surrender, the people and things belonging to their own war zone will belong to them.
This is the fate of the evil-doing Xiyi. Xiyi has to accept his fate whether he likes it or not!
When Zheng Chenggong marched towards Utier, Zheng Shengying divided the fleet into four.
One part transported war horses from southern France near the French-Spanish border, and the other three parts attacked Mallorca, Ibiza, and Menorca respectively.
Zheng Shengying personally led the main fleet to attack Mallorca, which may be hiding the Spanish fleet. This is also the largest island among the three islands.
In the port of Palma, the coastal capital, Zheng Shengying captured thirty-five ships.
If the other party doesn't fight back, then seize it. At least no one will die.
If the other party dares to fight back, not a single ship will be spared and they will be sunk!
After the proud Spaniards saw the yellow-skinned monkey flag, they were unwilling to surrender directly and opened fire one after another.
Zheng Shengying no longer needed to be polite to the other party, ordered the fleet to move closer, and then greeted Xiyi with anti-ship missiles.
Within an hour, all the ships in the port were hit and on fire, six exploded and four sank quickly.
Zheng Shengying then ordered the fleet to bombard Palma, and then organized a heavily armed sailor landing operation.
Under Zheng Chenggong's training, sailors who used to only know how to fight at sea are now capable of landing operations.
Especially this time is different from the past. After landing, you can ride a Ocean Horse, which will make anyone excited.
This eliminates the need to mobilize first. One large ship has one platoon of people, and one hundred ships means more than 3,000 people.
After two hours of shelling, the city of Parma was completely devastated, and the defenders' counterattack fire basically stopped.
Zheng Jun launched a large-scale attack. Zheng Shengying's purpose was to destroy this place first and then quickly move to other places.
The subordinates are naturally very good at this kind of good thing of grabbing and running away, and they are really skillful in doing it.
Whenever the door is closed, regardless of whether there is anyone inside, a grenade should be thrown in to say hello!
It doesn't matter if they are ambushed. Zheng's army all have revolvers and can fire continuously, and the instantaneous output of firepower far exceeds that of Xiyi's flintlock rifles.
What's more, they are all heavily armored, and flintlock bullets cannot penetrate a steel plate covering the torso.
The city of Parma has turned into a battlefield, with thick smoke everywhere, explosions one after another, and continuous wailing and crying.
Do you need to pity Xiyi?
Didn't they ask for this?
Zheng Shengying learned from his master that Spain once had a fleet that claimed to be the "Invincible Fleet". As a result, the expedition against Britain was severely damaged, which was no different from the annihilation of the group.
But the strength of his own fleet is completely different from that of the "Invincible Fleet", not to mention that the enemy no longer dares to confront him head-on.
Therefore, Zheng Shengying named his fleet "Destruction Fleet", which was to destroy the ships and ports of Xiyi and make Xiyi never forget it!
Take away everything that can be taken away, and destroy everything that cannot be taken away!
Compared with the well-trained Zheng Army sailors, although the defenders of Parma had some courage and resisted stubbornly from beginning to end, they obviously could not repel the Zheng Army's attack.
In about an hour, Zheng Jun occupied half of the city, killed many Xiyi soldiers, and seized cartloads of trophies.
Zheng Shengying wasn't too interested in trophies. If he could find an outstanding-looking and graceful Yangma here, he wouldn't mind enjoying it.
This is not the Spanish mainland, and resources are limited after all. It is enough to allow his subordinates to take advantage of the opportunity to make a profit. The top priority is to cover his brother's attack on Madrid.
However, the subordinates did not disappoint their commander. They indeed captured a lot of blond and blue-eyed Yangma. They were not very old, and they all looked to be around twenty years old.
According to the standards of Western Yi, this is considered a good time, but in the Ming Dynasty, this is already the age of a mother.
"As long as you serve me well, I can ensure your safety!"
Zheng Shengying stated the request first in Spanish to avoid misunderstanding.
"Bah~!"
As a result, he got the thick phlegm spit out by a big ocean horse, and he was so frightened that he hurriedly punished this reckless thing.
"Slow down! It doesn't matter! It seems like this horse has a very strong temper! If I like it, the commander will bring it to my cabin and tie it up!"
Zheng Shengying wiped the phlegm on his face with a silk handkerchief, and then ordered his men. This is interesting.
This kind of ocean horse is the most enjoyable to ride, and it is much more fun than the local skinny horses with a docile temperament.
"Go to hell! You Eastern devil!"
Dayang Ma struggled hard with all his strength, trying to break away from the iron claws of the soldiers on the left and right, and kept insulting each other.
"Devil? You may not know how your army plundered our land! Now, you can experience it for yourself, you, the devil's accomplice! Since we are all traveling together, I will not be polite! "
Zheng Shengying gave Dayang Ma two loud slaps in the face, telling her to sober up.
The other Dayan horses watching on the side couldn't help but be a little shocked. They wanted to resist, but they were afraid of being treated the same way.
"My brother will die in your hands, I will not give in!"
Despite the burning pain in his cheek, Dayang Ma still defended himself.
"That means your brother deserves to die! Fighting against the Ming Dynasty King's Master will lead to death!"
Zheng Shengying didn't care about the lives of Xiyi at all. Do the people of Ming Dynasty deserve to die?
Who will avenge those people who died tragically at the hands of Xiyi swords and guns?
