Hussein left nine thousand garrison troops in Budapest, six thousand at Buda Castle on the west bank of the Danube, and three thousand at Pest Castle on the east bank.
If they do not take the initiative to fight or surrender, the enemy will not be able to capture the fortressed target in a short period of time.
Buda Castle is built on a higher rock and has terrain advantages. It is a typical place that is easy to defend but difficult to attack.
Pest Castle was built later and is located on the plain on the opposite bank. Its main function is a bridgehead.
In a worst-case scenario, Hussein allowed the defenders to lose Pest Castle.
But if the strong Buda Castle is lost in a short period of time, the head of the defender will fall to the ground...
It took less than a month from receiving the emergency letter to returning to Budapest. In theory, there was no time for rescue.
The actual situation is also the same. Hussein has received the scout's report and Budapest is still in his own hands.
That means this is a typical siege and reinforcements, and the identities of both sides are exactly the opposite of last year's Battle of Krakow.
Our own side became the one to break the siege, and the anti-Austrian coalition forces commanded by Leopold I became hunters waiting for work.
The Holy Roman Emperor Leopold I first sent a letter of persuasion to the defenders to surrender. After the defenders refused, they followed what the defenders had done in Krakow and dug trenches around the city.
The depth is enough for soldiers to dodge and fire inside. In this way, I can also use the opponent's tactics to teach Hussein a lesson...
Hussein was very clear about Leopold's intentions and purposes. Since the food, grass and ammunition in Budapest were sufficient, there was no need for him to rush to relieve the city.
If you are willing to surround me, then you should surround me first!
There is no doubt that Budapest is a strategic city that cannot be missed.
But it does not mean that as long as the other party besieges the city, one must rescue the city at all costs.
If we lose 200,000 people to relieve the siege of Budapest, what's the use?
After seeing many classic battle cases of the Ming Empire, Hussein increasingly believed that the value of preserving mobile troops was much higher than that of strategic locations.
As long as you keep the army of more than 200,000 in your hands, wouldn't you be able to fight wherever you want?
On the other hand, if you only have tens of thousands of people under your command, you may get beaten wherever you go...
It is said that in order to avenge his hatred, Leopold brought an army of 700,000 troops this time.
Regarding this amount, Hussein, after seeing the opponent's camp with his own eyes, could only say that it was no less than five or six hundred thousand.
However, both of them far exceeded the strength of their own troops several times, and the other side had an absolute advantage in strength.
Our only two advantages are tanks and airships. The rest can only be regarded as self-preservation and lack of progress.
Seeing that the other party also dug trenches and planned to let himself experience the pain of trench warfare, Hussein couldn't help but smile meaningfully...
Although Leopold had a large number of troops, if he wanted to besiege Budapest, especially the city across the Danube, he had to expand the encirclement and invest more troops.
Therefore, it is impossible to cut off the connection between Hussein's troops and the Balkan base. The supply line is nothing more than detouring eastward to the grasslands, which will not fundamentally affect the food and drink of the army.
This place is not far from Vienna, not to mention that the other party also controls the upper reaches of the Danube River. It will not be difficult to replenish supplies by both land and water.
After Hussein returned to the army, he greatly shortened the required supply distance.
Without taking the initiative to relieve the Budapest defenders, this gradually turned into a tug-of-war.
Seeing that the opponent did not take the bait, Leopold was not in a hurry to take the initiative to attack, which would be equivalent to giving up the trenches and Budapest.
When the opponent has tanks and airships, even if one's own troops have the advantage in strength, it may not be possible to win in a field battle.
The failure of the Battle of Krakow allowed Leopold to calm down and understand that the Austrian army was no longer what it used to be.
If we are unable to win again, it will greatly damage the confidence of our allies, and our prestige in Central Europe will also plummet.
The other party deliberately did not attack, so they should be afraid of the horror of trenches, which shows that this trench-digging tactic does have merit.
Leopold still had two cards to play. One was that the new Polish king Sobieski had promised that the Polish army would arrive on the battlefield within ten days.
In order to thank the Holy Roman Empire for sending troops to rescue last time, Sobieski promised to send at least 100,000 troops this time, striving to eliminate the enemy forces in one fell swoop and recover Budapest and its surrounding areas.
The combined total strength of both sides was as high as 600,000, forming an absolute military advantage over the Austrian army.
Another card was that Bavaria and Hanover also agreed to send 50,000 troops each, but only after completing spring plowing.
In other words, the longer the war in Budapest drags on, the more troops Leopold will have in hand, and it is very likely that it will actually reach the 700,000 that he boasted to the outside world!
If Russia had not been beaten badly, Alexey would have sent at least 50,000 troops, thus forming a large-scale anti-Austrian alliance.
With half of Europe combined, the Ottomans were absolutely invincible.
The final result can only be a loss of troops and generals, a dejected withdrawal from Central Europe, and even abandonment of the entire Balkans.
No Polish flags were found in the trenches and camps near the encirclement, and Hussein knew that Sobieski's men had not yet arrived.
Once he takes action at this time, when the Polish army suddenly appears on the battlefield, it is very likely to become a force that changes the situation of the war.
However, Hussein still did not intend to take action, and a new batch of supplies would arrive soon.
Including thirty-six heavy artillery, two hundred steam tanks, and no less than twenty thousand heavy cavalry.
For Hussein, this batch of supplies could play a vital role in the future decisive battle with the enemy.
Maybe a hundred or even fifty more tanks can tip the battle in your favor...
All steam tanks were not produced by the Ottomans, they were all imported, and most of them were second-hand.
Even so, Sultan Ibrahim I was willing to eat them all, because it was a barter trade and did not cost a single silver coin.
The Ming Empire was willing to purchase no less than one million barrels of refined oil products from the Ottoman Empire every year at a CIF price of five silver coins per barrel.
The burial depth of Kuwait's oil fields is very deep, and many of them are spontaneous wells, so the difficulty of extraction is almost zero.
Ibrahim I had never thought that this black liquid could make money for himself, and it was almost worthless if buried underground.
But after the Ming Empire helped it mine and refine it, oil and refined oil were equivalent to barrels of silver coins.
Not only can it be exported by ship to France, the Netherlands, Sweden, Venice, Rome and other countries, but it can also be exchanged for a large number of various novel products from the Ming Empire.
For Ibrahim I, oil was truly inexhaustible, and its value to the empire was comparable to the canal ordered in his own name.
Emperor Haojing was willing to import refined oil from the Ottomans for a simple reason. After purchasing from the Shaanxi Oilfield and then refining it, the cost had risen to nearly ten silver coins per barrel.
In order to protect employment in the oil fields, the imperial court had no choice but to purchase 200,000 barrels a year. Otherwise, it would be better to import refined oil from Ottoman in full.
Nowadays, the refined oil produced by Osman has almost become its most advantageous product. It is not only of high quality, but also low in price, making it very competitive in the market.
The disadvantage is that due to the low price, the net profit is much lower than that of silk, porcelain, tea and novelty goods.
However, since it is a bulk commodity that can be industrially produced, it can be fully managed in large quantities. Each batch of fleets sailing from Kuwait port is calculated in dozens of ships.
Exchanging refined oil for luxury goods was naturally something that Ibrahim I liked to do very much. The palace was filled with Ming Empire goods, including telephones, refrigerators, toilets...
But while enjoying himself, Ibrahim I also did not forget to purchase weapons and equipment that could defend the empire and himself.
Every year, at least 20 heavy artillery pieces, 500 steam tanks, 10,000 revolvers and other advanced weapons were imported from the Ming Empire.
Especially after the Ottoman ambassador to the Ming Dynasty heard that the Ming army had begun to phase out the first-generation steam tanks on a large scale, he immediately became active.
Through communication with Emperor Haojing and military ministers, a contract was signed to purchase at least one thousand second-hand steam tanks, and the right to purchase additional orders of the same quantity at the same price was reserved.
In order to protect his own infantry and counterattack the Donglu cavalry, Emperor Haojing ordered the construction of no less than 5,000 first-generation steam tanks.
Now that there are no natural disasters, the imperial court's revenue is gradually rising. In addition to purchasing ironclad ships for the navy, it has also begun to equip the army with second-generation steam tanks.
Except for remote areas that cannot be recovered temporarily, all first-generation steam tanks will be recycled. After a comprehensive inspection of the vehicle's condition, a decision will be made whether to dismantle or resell.
With the efforts of the ambassador, the Ottoman Empire obtained about one-third of the available export quantity, and the remaining more than 2,000 vehicles will be sold to Zhang Tianbao in North America and Zhu Cihuan, King of Burma.
If the strength of the vehicle body cannot meet the requirements for combat, it can be sold to farmers in Xianbelia at a low price and used as tractors...
Emperor Haojing didn't take this batch of used goods seriously at all, but the next family didn't think so.
France and the Netherlands have both learned to make steam engines, and naturally they can assemble steam tanks.
Osman's technology is much inferior. He also used refined oil to purchase related technologies, and is still in the learning stage.
However, the speed of equipment is naturally not as economical as buying finished products directly. Replacing finished oil with finished tanks was a completely reasonable transaction in Ibrahim I.
Emperor Hao Jing also agreed to this old friend's application to purchase the latest second-generation steam tank.
Because the steam engine technology of the Ming Dynasty was divided into several grades, the first-class ones were naturally used to equip ironclad ships.
The second-class goods are used for locomotives, the third-class goods are used as tank power, and the worst ones are naturally used for tractors...
New tanks are also bartered, but are ten times more expensive than used ones!
From the cannon, engine, to the body and wheels, not a single thing about it is a refurbished product.
Ibrahim I ordered 5,000 vehicles at once, but the maximum number of deliveries per year was only 120.
The second-generation steam tanks will first meet the Ming Dynasty Army's replacement needs, and then the second big customer is Zheng Zhilong.
The Zheng Army's expansion in southern Africa also requires tanks very much.
What's more, Zheng Zhilong is not short of money at all, so he naturally despises second-hand goods.
From tanks to ironclads, buy them all brand new...
Calculated based on the current production capacity, the arsenal's orders have been scheduled for twenty years.
In order to please Ibrahim I, the Ottoman ambassador chose the most matching model.
The so-called top version of the tank is the one with the most powerful engine and the best quality armor.
Not only is it equipped with a tank gun, but a small spherical turret is also installed on the large turret on the roof.
The purpose of the small turret is to protect the machine gunner!
The top version of the tank is equipped with a machine gun, which is exactly the same style as that equipped by the Ming Dynasty Army.
Twenty rounds are also fed by bullets.
The theoretical firing rate reaches 120 rounds per minute, bullet jams are not included...
In order to improve the hit rate, the machine gun is also equipped with an optical sight, which allows the shooter to clearly see the target one hundred meters away.
Each vehicle crew consists of five people, one to drive, two as gunners, and two to control the machine gun.
Although the price of the bicycle is as high as 30,000 silver coins, it is still worth every penny.
Because Emperor Haojing also ordered that each vehicle be provided with two revolver rifles and three revolver blunderbuss!
If you buy the low-end version, the gift you get is five pillows...
On May 5, Hussein received 250 steam tanks, and the extra fraction was a brand-new second-generation steam tank.
The crew has received relevant training and has the ability to directly participate in combat, but...
Due to the lack of bridges that could be weighed, the Austrian army also had no large ships to transport tanks.
The reinforcements, tanks and cavalry were all stuck on the west bank of the Danube!
Without finding a shoal, the reinforcements would not be able to join Hussein's main force.
The second thing is that they can't join together. The important thing is that they can't even get close to the battlefield.
The anti-Austrian coalition forces surrounded the city of Buda on the west coast, and the Ottoman reinforcements bypassed Lake Balaton.
That would be equivalent to running directly into the opponent's encirclement, and it is very likely to be eaten by the opponent.
From Vienna to Budapest, the opponent's combat troops are already everywhere.
It is nothing more than the size of towns and the number of local troops stationed in each place.
Hussein deliberately used this unit as bait to lure the opponent to the bait.
But he couldn't rush to rescue in time. If he joined up with him, the bait would really be eaten by Leopold.
Fortunately, the opponent has also deployed no less than 200,000 troops outside Pest City on the east coast. This may be a good breakthrough point.
Leopold had also considered this important issue when he besieged Budapest.
Since the target is actually two castles, one on the east bank and one on the west bank.
Therefore, if the coalition forces only surrounded Buda Castle on the west bank, it would be equivalent to allowing Hussein's army to merge with the defenders in Pest.
So he deployed his own 200,000 imperial troops on the east coast to surround the city of Pest.
Allied troops were on the west bank with the remaining 150,000 men, responsible for the siege of Buda City.
The bridges on the river have been controlled by our own side, and multiple trenches have been built around the bridges, so we are not afraid of being quickly controlled by the enemy.
However, the commander of the east coast force was a former French general, Friedrich Schaumberg, whose name sounded very German.
Because Schaumberg was born in Heidelberg, his father was a court official of Frederick V, Elector of the Rhine-Palatinate.
Schaumberg served in the Dutch army for more than ten years, and later participated in the Portuguese counterattack against Spain.
Because he belonged to the Huguenot gang and was unwilling to change, Schaumberg's dream of becoming a marshal came to an abrupt end in France.
He brought a large group of people to Brandenburg. Because of his rich combat experience, he immediately became the commander-in-chief of the army of the Elector of Brandenburg.
An important reason why Leopold appointed him to command the east coast troops was that during his service in the French army, Schaumberg had been serving under the famous general Turenne and was very familiar with the tactics of the Ming army and the French army.
But the bad news is that Schaumberg took office years ago, and his troops are far from familiar with and mastering the new tactics. He himself can only do his best.
The previous strategy of digging trenches received strong support from Schaumberg. Both the French and Ming armies often used this method to siege cities, and it was very effective.
Schaumberg also suggested that if necessary, the water of the Danube River be used to soak the two targets...
But if Hussein's main force can be directly eliminated, then there is no need to do anything unnecessary.
After the Hanoverian and Bavarian troops arrived on the battlefield, Schaumberg brought his troops to the east coast, where he was assisted by 100,000 winged cavalry brought by Sobieski.
At this time, the total strength of the coalition forces has really reached 700,000, with 350,000 on both sides. This deployment of troops seems very reasonable, and they can also support each other through bridges.
Now it was Hussein's turn to be in trouble. His troops were cut in half by the Danube, but the enemy troops could rely on bridges to rejoin at any time.
Unless we wait until winter to take action, we will have to fight to the death with an enemy force three or four times our own with a small force and a large number of enemies at a disadvantage!
The chance of winning is very slim. Even if the invading enemy can be repelled, it will probably be a disastrous victory for both sides. Don't even think about going north to occupy Krakow in the future.
All Hussein could do was to wait for the dry season to come and see if the water depth of the Danube River in the war zone could drop enough to allow tanks to cross the river directly.
But after waiting for two months, the water depth did not reach the expectation. Even if it reached the silt and pebbles at the bottom of the river, the tank would sink inside and become unable to move.
There are three solutions.
Or take advantage of the dry season to build a floating bridge.
Either dismantle the tank first, then transport it to the other side and reinstall it.
Or simply cover the bottom of the river with gravel and then cover it with iron plates padded with sleepers.
When it comes to building a pontoon bridge, Hussein cannot find enough boats, and the load-bearing capacity is difficult to estimate.
When it comes to dismantling a tank, tank crews and maintenance technicians will only dismantle the first-generation version. Once the new version is dismantled, it may not be possible to install it.
Paving a road in the water is no less difficult than disassembling and assembling a tank. After much deliberation, Hussein did not adopt any plan.
The biggest problem at present is that one's own troops cannot defeat the opponent's entire force.
If there were only these three or four hundred thousand people on the east coast, there would naturally be a dozen.
So his subordinates came up with a bold idea, which was to send a direct force that was good at swimming and blow up the bridge directly!
The difficulty of blowing up the bridge does not lie in itself, but in the fact that the river is full of patrolling enemy ships, making it easy for our own soldiers to be discovered.
And only by entering the water from upstream and using the fluidity of the water can we save energy and reach the target.
There were five bridges connecting the two cities. Hussein believed that as long as three of them could be blown up, it would be able to significantly slow down the opponent's reinforcements from crossing the river.
It is also easy to waterproof the explosive package. First wrap it with multiple layers of waterproof leather cloth, and then directly seal the outside with high-temperature asphalt.
After some selection, Hussein formed a commando team of fifty people.
Each person carries a ten-pound explosive bag and swims close to the target.
The packaged explosive packets have been soaked in water and tested in advance, and there is no problem at all. Once the commandos have eaten and drank enough, they can take action.
Even if this group of people is finally captured and the mission fails, it will not be a big deal to Hussein.
Before setting off, Hussein promised that even if they died in the battle, their families would receive ten years' salary.
The probability of success of this plan is actually not high, and Hussein also knows this, so he doesn't have much hope at all.
However, on the night of June 10th, two bridges on the Danube River were really blown down after two loud explosions.
Since the opponent has not made any changes, the sailors on the anti-Austrian ships have neglected to take precautions, thus giving the commandos an opportunity to take action.
But when the commandos arrived under the bridge, they found that the bridge was much stronger than expected.
Instead of destroying five targets with no confidence, it is better to concentrate all the explosive charges and destroy two of them.
The team members could clearly hear the enemies talking on the bridge, but they did not have any insight into their actions.
After using the delay fuse, the commando team can retreat calmly and land safely at the downstream connection point.
After Hussein learned that the plan was partially successful, he did not blame the commandos for changing their minds temporarily. Instead, he praised them lavishly.
Being able to blow up two bridges was a complete unexpected gain, and he had no reason to be angry at all.
Each team member received half a roasted lamb and a barrel of wine, so they could get drunk before resting.
After receiving reports that the bridge had been bombed, both Leopold and Schaumberg realized the other's intentions.
I am afraid that an attack will be launched against the coalition forces on the east coast, but there are doubts as to whether they will immediately retreat to the west bank.
Sobieski did not recommend an immediate retreat, because there were still three bridges left, and the troops on the east bank could continue to receive reinforcements.
Just station a large number of ships and troops near the bridge to ensure that the bridge is safe.
However, it is necessary to continue to strengthen the forces on the east coast to ensure the military advantage over the Austrian army at all times.
After careful consideration, Leopold agreed and sent 200,000 troops from Hanover, Bavaria, Saxony, and Denmark.
As a result, the combat troops on the east coast increased to 550,000, and only 150,000 troops belonging to Leopold were retained on the west coast.
Considering that the defenders in Buda City did not dare to fight at all, and the main force of the Austrian army was not found near the west bank, this arrangement did not pose much risk.
Although Leopold's troops in Xi'an were not large, they had trenches as infantry bunkers, thousands of tanks and hundreds of artillery pieces, and 30,000 cavalry. If they were only used for defense, The pressure is actually not that great.
After crossing the Drava River, Jamal sent someone to get in touch with Hussein.
In addition to tanks and cavalry, his troops also had a heavy artillery battalion and 10,000 infantry.
Talk about whether you are strong or not, talk about whether you are weak or not.
It's hard to be the main force, but he is still very qualified as a partial division.
He did get a warning from Hussein not to set foot on the battlefield easily, and he thought it made sense.
However, it always felt a little awkward to go back and deliver a message to His Majesty the Sultan empty-handed.
It would be great if you can make great achievements, and you can get rewards when you go back.
Jamal was also very careful, and his headquarters had always been located in the southwest area of Lake Balaton.
The confrontation between the two sides was protracted. Hussein could wait, but Jamal couldn't wait.
First, we go around Lake Balaton and appear in Veszprem.
After staying there for half a month, seeing that the other party did not make any big move, he ordered the movement to the northeast again...
The speed of Jamal's troops' advance does not depend on cavalry or infantry, but only on tanks.
Without tanks, both cavalry and infantry would have to run away immediately when they see the enemy's main force.
It's not that Jamal has never fought in a war, but it was just a small fight in the Balkans.
He had neither participated in nor wanted to take any responsibility for the decisive battle between the two armies that cost millions.
Continue heading north, just to watch the fun, or if you have the chance, you can catch it yourself!
Jamal didn't know what the two sides were waiting for. Hussein didn't take action because he had too few troops.
However, the opponent has a huge military advantage. It would be strange for him to not attack for so long...
On July 9, Jamal's troops had advanced to a position about ten miles away from Buda City.
The scout reported that the two sides were still confronting each other, which puzzled Jamal.
Don’t you all know?
If we keep playing like this, it will snow on the battlefield!
Hussein reminded Jamal in the letter that he must stay calm. If the enemy does not take the initiative to attack, he must not make the first move.
After Jamal personally inspected the battlefield, he felt that neither side seemed to be planning to take action until it snowed.
If this continues, the full name of the "Battle of Budapest" in the future should be the "Budapest Sit-Down Battle"!
For three days in a row, the scouts reported not hearing a single shot the whole day...
Jamal decided to just take a look and prepared to withdraw to Veszprém.
At this moment, the enemy suddenly launched a surprise attack on the department!
With 100,000 Sobieski's hussars as the vanguard and Leopold's 100,000 infantry as the backing.
On the morning of July 17, a surprise attack was launched against Jamal's troops.
Leopold had long known that less than 50,000 Austrian troops appeared in the southwest, posing a threat to his back.
In view of the suddenness of its appearance, we discussed with Sobieski and Schaumberg to first mobilize all the winged cavalry to eat this enemy.
After obtaining the consent of the two, Sobieski led the Hussars to start crossing the bridge under the cover of night for more than ten days.
The assembly was completed on the night of July 16th. Since everyone entered the previous camp and lurked in the forest to the north, not many people were shown.
Jamal also received a report from the other party about increasing troops to the West Bank, but he didn't take it to heart because he was about to retreat.
When they were about to break camp, they were caught off guard.
The department did not dig trenches around the perimeter, but only dug a circle of horse pits, because this saves time and effort.
The temporary bunkers are mainly provided by tanks, tanks and horse-drawn carriages transporting supplies, but heavy artillery has been deployed on the mounds and can be fired at any time.
Although he was at a military disadvantage, Jamal still believed that it was impossible for the other party to overwhelm his camp in one fell swoop.
Because of the direction in which the enemy cavalry group was attacking, fifty brand-new steam tanks happened to be deployed.
This means that there are not only fifty rapid-fire cannons, but also fifty machine guns that can fire continuously!
Coupled with a thousand Guards soldiers armed with revolvers and other infantry equipped with flintlock muskets, it can output quite strong direct firepower.
Sobieski's hussars indeed encountered unprecedented resistance, especially in the last three hundred feet. The hussars rushing in front fell one after another.
Many hussars can't figure it out until they die. What kind of gun can actually make the sound of firing...
They also knew about the existence of revolvers, but even that weapon had a lull in firing.
However, on the current battlefield, it seems that the enemy has a more terrifying weapon than a revolver!
Each second-generation steam tank can form dual-channel firepower of artillery shells and bullets.
At close range, cannons that fire shotgun shells are extremely scary when firing rapidly.
The addition of a machine gun on the roof directly doubled the lethality of each tank.
Fifty tanks plus a thousand Guards and three thousand ordinary soldiers, supported by artillery fire, were resisting the assault of Sobieski's Hussars.
Of course, one hundred thousand winged cavalry can form an almost devastating force, but the cross-section to engage the enemy is extremely limited, with no more than a thousand at most.
It is difficult for a thousand hussars to deal with fifty tanks, let alone heavy artillery, mortars and thousands of infantry.
The hussars in the rear row can also participate in the attack, but they both know how much of a threat they can pose to the tanks.
The actual situation is that the front row of hussars was mowed down by machine gun bullets, which directly caused the three or four rows of cavalry behind to be tripped by the mounts of their companions in front.
Thousands of cavalrymen were beaten to the ground by the opponent in a few seconds. Sobieski never thought that he would encounter such a strange thing.
Except for two or three machine guns that jammed because the main shooter drew the ejection plate too fast, the machine guns on the other tanks were working normally.
The resulting barrage opened the eyes of all the infantry blocking the formation, and even Jamal was surprised by it.
It is said that this weapon is very expensive, but I didn't expect it to be so easy to use. It can be called the natural enemy of the cavalry!
The firepower of fifty machine guns is almost equivalent to tens of thousands of Guards infantry equipped with flintlock muskets.
When dealing with enemy cavalry groups, it feels like tens of thousands of Guardsmen are not as useful as these machine guns.
Based on visual inspection, Jamal estimated that the number of enemy cavalry killed and wounded had reached tens of thousands.
Although in fact more wing cavalry were tripped by companion mounts, this was also regarded as combat attrition by Jamal...
Further forward, the Hussars met their old friend again - a rain of grenades!
Every Ottoman army had learned to throw grenades because the rate of fire of the flintlock was "very impressive".
Instead of reloading the flintlock when the enemy is approaching, it is better to light all the grenades you carry and throw them out.
If you can kill one or two enemies, you have earned it.
