The Qing army's fourth Western Expedition during the Kangji period indeed suffered considerable losses compared to the previous three because the left army was blocked by the Allies.
However, the other two groups did not encounter too fierce resistance. Although Dorobelcany's center army was forced to retreat, the attrition was very small.
The troops on the right led by Zhangtai of the Zhenglan Banner almost went smoothly. The Polish cavalry and the troops of the Holy Roman Empire were defeated as always.
In total, the three groups plundered at least 800,000 people and 200,000 livestock from Central Europe, and their property was equivalent to no less than 3 million silver coins.
With the coming of winter, Kangji also planned to retaliate, especially to avenge the previous loss of 150,000 horses. He must teach the barbarians a painful lesson.
The Imperial Army of the Qing Dynasty was best at fighting in winter, and Eastern Europe was relatively cold in winter, so it was perfect to use this time to launch the fifth Western Expedition.
The coach of this Western Expedition is still Chani, and the two deputy coaches Mu Zhan and Zhangtai have not even changed their respective offensive directions. What has changed is the amount of troops invested.
Each of the three men led an army of 500,000, and Kang Ji personally led a million troops as the backing of the three groups, planning to invest 2.5 million troops.
According to Mu Zhan's report, Switzerland, France, and Venice, which the Qing emperor had not visited before, were very wealthy and could be called fat sheep.
It's just that Switzerland is mostly mountainous, making it inconvenient for cavalry to gallop.
The French army has great combat power and is protected by flying evil beings.
Venice has a small territory and the weakest military strength.
Therefore, Mu Zhan suggested a second invasion of the country to enhance the prestige of the Qing Dynasty!
Kangji agreed after asking Suo'etu and others. After all, the country was close to the Ottomans, and the king's division could attack or retreat.
However, when entering the army, Muzan was told that he could not pass through Ottoman territory. The other party had already signed a contract with Venice.
Previously, the Qing army was able to enter Ottoman territory during its retreat because the other side was completely unprepared.
Now it is absolutely impossible to use the Slovenian area controlled by the Ottomans as an offensive corridor.
An alternative offensive route was through Moravia and Austria, into southeastern France and Venice.
Mu Zhan had 500,000 troops in his hands, and coupled with the diversionary effect of Chani's army, the local French army was not afraid at all.
This time Mu Zhan also learned wisely and never planned to confront the French army head-on. That was definitely not a wise move.
The five hundred thousand cavalrymen must take advantage of mobile warfare, grab whatever they can, and move to other places if there is no chance.
Using this move to offset the fighting power of flying evil creatures should probably be effective, although it is just a guess...
The army invaded the southeastern region of France before Christmas, and immediately encountered stubborn resistance from the local French army.
After Turenne returned to Austria, he ordered the two groups led by Aubusson and Rochechoire to transfer about 160,000 people to the southeastern mainland. They did not need to attack and were specifically responsible for defense.
It is generally more in line with the actual situation to use 160,000 people to defend the southeastern region of France. The Tatars cannot be allowed to smash the French mainland after looting Central Europe.
To the north, it can help defend Switzerland, and to the east, it can help defend Venice. The distances are relatively close. This deployment can kill three birds with one stone.
Turena had already fulfilled the guarantees made by the two heads of state that the Tatar cavalry would not invade both countries.
With the exception of French Air Force aircraft, French ground forces will not cross the border.
Switzerland has purchased fifty Albatross fighter jets from France and pilots are being trained.
In the early stage, French pilots flew Swiss Air Force fighter planes, responsible for reconnaissance and attack on the invading Tatar cavalry.
By the way, Turenne also contributed to the signing of the "Air Management Treaty" between France, Sweden, Switzerland and Weiwei.
That is to say, the air force aircraft of the four countries can fly across the border and attack the Tatar army in their territory without the other party's permission.
In fact, even Venice, which has hundreds of fighter planes, relies on the powerful French Air Force to protect itself. The few planes it owns are completely insufficient for consumption in wartime.
After Justinian learned about the powerful lethality of fighter planes against enemy cavalry groups, he hurriedly purchased an additional one thousand "Albatross" combat/reconnaissance aircraft from the Ming Empire.
Everyone in Venice also began to regret that so much property robbed by the Tatar cavalry had been used to purchase aircraft in advance, so they would not have suffered such huge losses.
Obviously, the European Emperor Louis XIV was far-sighted, unique, and had a very in-depth understanding of the value and role of aircraft. It was only right that his country's air force would follow France's lead.
The nerve-wracked Venetians have begun building airports across the country. Every city must have an airport.
A metropolis like Venice City in Shouxing has up to five airports.
The inner city is still dotted with waterways that can be used by gondola boats.
The outer city, which has been expanded for less than ten years, is all land, so there is no problem in building an airport.
The Port of Venice is protected by a fleet, so self-protection is no problem, but in the hinterland, it must be left to the air force fighters.
In order to provide positioning services for trekking pilots, each airport also built part of the lawn with the name of the city.
Each letter is four to five meters square and can be seen by pilots at low altitudes.
Even at night, after lighting the marquee trench, the burning letters are clearly visible in the air.
“All for Venice!”
Under the fierceness of Justinian's new slogan, even the noble children who once despised joining the army joined the army one after another.
The reason is simple. The Tatar cavalry are complete barbarians, not only cruel but also greedy.
They can really rob your house of nothing, and they are no match for them in ground combat.
The only way to get revenge is from the sky, so the nobles will not hesitate or hesitate.
After mobilization, Venice's troops expanded to 150,000, but they were scattered in various places and could not be gathered to form a fist.
What we can really count on is the 500,000 French troops commanded by the new European god of war, Marshal Turenne...
After careful consideration, Turena will not use the Southeast Region and Venice as the main battlefield this time.
The Tatars suffered a lot last time here, and they would be really stupid if they still took the bait!
Even if the opponent does launch a second attack on the area, it will disperse its forces, making it difficult for the Allied forces to catch them all.
Rather than being led by the Qing army south of the Alps, it would be better to wait for an opportunity to launch a decisive battle with the main force of the Qing army in Austria or South Germany.
After supplementation, Turenne had 350,000 French troops (including 50,000 cavalry), 100,000 coalition cavalry, and 50,000 Swiss infantry.
The total number of cavalry reached 500,000, about 5,000 tanks, 500 heavy artillery, 2,000 missiles, and 500 fighter planes.
Judging from the quantity and quality of heavy equipment, it can roughly launch a decisive battle.
There is also a prerequisite, that is, the Ottomans will not participate in the war, otherwise the Allies' chances of winning will be sharply reduced.
Nearly twenty years had passed since the last battle in Budapest, and Kangji did not believe that he could not win the battle without the help of the Austrian army.
As long as the Qing Dynasty cavalry advances quickly and violently, the barbarians can't even eat the dust trampled by their horses' hooves...
Unlike the Qing army's comeback, the Austrian army did not plan to attack the area north of Vienna again, citing the small number of cavalry and the danger of going north.
Rahim, who succeeded Hussein as the Hungarian Pasha, adopted a more sloppy defensive strategy than his predecessor, which was to shrink most of his troops to the Hungarian plains.
Even most of the Austria that had been captured before was unconditionally given up. The reason was very simple, that is, he was worried that Turenne and Leopold would join forces and lose the battle.
During Hussein's tenure, he never suffered a defeat. Even when he was besieged by Holy Roman Empire troops and Polish cavalry in Budapest, he never lost.
After reading the Sultan's personal letter to him, and especially understanding the suggestions made by the Ming Emperor, Rahim even more recognized the strategy of sticking to Budapest.
Once our main force is severely damaged in the Vienna Plain area, I am afraid that not many people will be able to run back to Hungary.
It will also mean that the troops protecting Hungary will also be exhausted by the defeat, and we will be forced to withdraw to the Balkans.
If that happens, the Sultan will definitely punish the defeated general...
Rahim hoped that after the enemy troops moved south to Hungary, Kangji would send a large number of cavalry into the enemy's hinterland to counterattack.
Instead of like now, the Qing army attacked before the enemy could attack.
The other party can invest 2.5 million troops at a time, and Rahim can't say much.
The total strength of the Austrian army in Hungary and the Balkans is only half a million. Kangji has a strong force, and Rahim can only envy it.
I hope the Qing army will not suffer another defeat when they encounter Turenne, otherwise it will be a lot of fun...
Rahim had heard a little bit about Turena's reputation, but he didn't know much about Kangji.
He hoped that Kangji could defeat Tirena with its superior strength, so that his side would have no pressure.
For the Allied soldiers, Christmas in 1694 was destined to be a bad one, because the Tatar cavalry came again!
Those Tatars who deserve to be killed will come over and loot you regardless of whether you are celebrating the festival or not.
Chani was scared away by the flying evil thing last time, but it won't happen this time.
Half a million troops rushed to the South German area in five groups, with Tsani personally leading one group.
The generals were ordered in advance not to attack the city, let alone fight with the barbarians.
Either ambush or guerrilla, you can roam when you encounter the enemy's main force...
The arrangements were in place, but as soon as they entered the South German region, they were spotted by the plane overhead.
When the weather was good, there wasn't a day that went by that Chani's team didn't take a beating, just because of the lack of planes.
The daily loss of troops is around five to six thousand, which is not low.
This also forced Chani to divide his troops in advance, so that the flying evil objects above his head had to disperse and pursue them.
Leopold built airports in Munich, Augsburg, Regensburg, Ulm, Ingolstadt, Rosenheim, Kempten and other cities in southern Germany.
Each airport is stationed with a squadron of about thirty "Albatross" fighter jets. Together with the air network covering the southern German region, they can effectively detect and attack any invading enemy.
After learning about the situation on the Danube River this year, Turena placed the main force near Munich.
The ice on the Danube River this year was not thick enough for the cavalry to pass.
Therefore, Turena does not need to worry about the north of the Danube River, and will place the expected main battlefield on the south bank of the Danube River.
Tsani became very angry after receiving the news that several of his troops were unable to cross the Danube.
He led his troops here in winter to cross the river without boats, but now this wish came to nothing.
This means that we can only loot in the area south of the Danube River. If that doesn't work, we can go to Switzerland. I heard Mu Zhan say that Switzerland is very rich.
After receiving reports that the main enemy forces gathered in the Munich area, Tsani did not mind this.
Anyway, when we return to the division, we won't have the same path we came from, and it's useless for the opponent to set up a blockade in Munich to intercept them.
But what Chani didn't know was that this time Turenne decided to adopt a brand new tactic in view of the success of the last battle.
That is, the air force launched an attack on the Tatar cavalry group first. After it was dispersed by fighter planes, our own cavalry troops then launched an encirclement and suppression operation.
By the time Christmas came, Leopold had amassed 200,000 cavalry, which, together with the French's 50,000, was enough to form five cavalry corps.
Based on the information obtained from aircraft reconnaissance, Turena found prey for each of the five cavalry corps. Each cavalry corps could receive the cooperation of at least fifty fighter planes.
If fighter planes are not dispatched, the cavalry army does not need to attack and will only fight under fine weather conditions to ensure that its side can achieve maximum results.
After the implementation of this tactic, it directly caused Tsani's five armies to be hunted down by the Allies at the same time.
The Qing army's air defense capabilities were minimal and there was nothing they could do about the "big fly" above their heads.
The French "Albatross" fighter jets can use aerial bombs and machine guns to injure ground targets without restraint.
When the Qing cavalry faced the coming flying evil objects, they had no choice but to hide on the spot or run away like crazy.
If there are Han cavalry in the team, they can also use small Folang machines and muskets to parry them a little.
If there were only Eight Banners soldiers and Menggu cavalry, using bows and arrows to fight back against the flying evil objects would suddenly look extremely funny.
Allied cavalry did not need to worry about not being able to find prey. French pilots usually found prey at high altitude and immediately asked the shooters in the back seat to fire signal flares to alert surrounding cavalry units.
When the cavalry on the ground see the red flare appearing in the sky in the distance, they can rush over directly...
When the Qing cavalry is tortured unbearably by the "big flies" on their heads, they will most likely be attacked by the Allied cavalry from the ground.
At this time, the Qing cavalry had dispersed, because in the case of an air attack, the more troops were gathered together, the greater the casualties would be.
The Qing army, which was at a disadvantage in terms of strength, could not resist the Allied cavalry troops rushing from one direction.
The Aung Bang Zhang Jing E Hai Department from Xiangbai Banner was the first to suffer great misfortune. An army of 100,000 people was attacked by air raids for five consecutive days.
Nearly 20,000 elites were lost, and nearly 10,000 were lost. The remaining 70,000 were almost in bulk and scattered in the surrounding areas.
Then the main force of about 40,000 people led by Ehai had a large-scale confrontation with 50,000 coalition cavalry in the area south of Regensburg.
Although the combat effectiveness and weapons of the coalition cavalry are not as good as those of the French army, because they are composed of local Germans, they will naturally kill the Tatars who are burdened with blood debts.
E Hai and a group of his men had not had a good rest in the past few days. They were distracted and depressed. The invading enemy had a similar strength to our own, but they were still completely defeated.
Once an evil flying object appeared above their heads, those Menggu cavalrymen who had already turned into frightened birds turned their horses around and ran away without thinking.
"Zhang Jing, the heavenly soldiers can't stand it anymore!"
Shi Lin (the fourth son of Shi Tingzhu), the leader of the Zhengbai Banner of the Han Army, quickly advised Ehai to retreat quickly. If he ran too late, he would be afraid of being beaten by the barbarians.
"Oh! I'm so angry!"
E Hai, who was unwilling to accept that the situation was over, could only cry out for help. This was the first time that he had seen the Qing army defeated so miserably.
Unless E Hai and Shi Lin were incompetent in commanding the barbarians, there would be flying evil objects to clear the way, and our side would not be able to counterattack at all, and even the formation would not be successful.
The function of the "Albatross" is to prevent the Qing army from gathering smoothly. Even if it is assembled, it will be broken into pieces in an instant, and you will not be able to form a fist even if you retract all your fingers.
Anyone who stays where he is is the "Albatross"'s first choice for attack, and will definitely kill him right there...
After dropping the bomb, the pilot kept hovering over the target, creating opportunities for the machine gunner to continue firing.
A fighter plane can carry more than 1,600 to 2,000 rounds of ammunition. It will not easily leave the battlefield until all the ammunition is used up.
There is also an even more bizarre unit, which does not carry aerial bombs and replaces all the redundant load with bullets or even grenades.
The essence of the French Air Force's tactics is to harass them with all their might. If the opponent dares to gather troops, he will be dispatched immediately!
Although the tactics are shameless, they hit the opponent's vital points directly and are very effective in cooperating with the cavalry army.
If the opponent runs away, the fighter jets will chase the target dozens of miles away.
If the opponent doesn't run away, the pilot's hovering skills will be tested.
The French Air Force did not inflict devastating physical blows to the Ehai headquarters, but the mental torture was devastating.
He finally realized the unspeakable suffering that Mu Zhan suffered before. Facing such a shameless enemy, he couldn't even use his strength.
Unless you see it with your own eyes and experience it with your own eyes, you would never believe that such a bizarre thing could happen.
After counting the casualties from the 100,000-strong army, the rest became a group of stragglers. It was no longer possible for Ehai to gather his men together.
The area south of Regensburg was originally the hunting ground of the Hubei Command. Now the hunters became prey, and the other party began to hunt them wholesale...
The Qing army relied on its proficiency in bows and horses to ambush the enemy in some local areas, but even a small amount of money could not undo the painful losses caused by the previous defeat.
From Ehai and Shilin to ordinary Qing cavalry, everyone was extremely uncomfortable with the tactics used by the enemy and could not find corresponding countermeasures.
Fortunately, there would be no flying evil objects at night, otherwise everyone would not even dare to light a fire, and would have to freeze to death outdoors.
The Qing cavalry sitting around the campfire all looked dull and dull, not knowing what to do next.
Ehai could only bake the hare offered by his own hands, otherwise he would have to eat dry scones.
The number of the two white flag cavalry of the Han army led by Shi Lin was less than 3,000, which was more than half less than when the troops were dispatched.
Looking at the swaying flames in front of me, I felt confused. I didn't know how to report back to the emperor after I returned.
Before, he had despised the incompetent Mu Zhan, but he didn't expect retribution to come so soon...
