Zhang Huangyan returned to Moscow with his master's advice and a bunch of gifts, and expressed Ming Dynasty's attitude towards the European war to the Swedish consul in Moscow.
The area controlled by Sweden on the southern coast of the Baltic Sea is not too small. The garrison maintains around 20,000 troops all year round. The scale is not large, but they are basically elite troops.
The Qing army had frequently attacked westward before, sending millions of troops and annihilating Boli in one fell swoop. This made Karl XI a little restless.
Sweden's diplomatic strategy is generally formulated with reference to the Ming Empire and France. After France joined the war, Karl XI also had to take a look at the attitude of the Ming Empire before making a decision.
If the world's largest and second most powerful countries both join the war, especially if they form an alliance to suppress the Tatars, then Sweden does not need to continue to wait and see.
However, the Ming Empire's previous attitude was relatively close to neutrality, and there were not many troops stationed in Europe. There were questions about whether it could join the war as soon as possible.
Karl XI believed that given the feud between the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the Ming Empire would join the war sooner or later. The only thing that was difficult to figure out was the specific time for sending troops.
Once the Ming Empire sends troops, Sweden will definitely send a large number of troops to the southern coast of the Baltic Sea within three days. Otherwise, it will have to wait a little longer...
In order to further inquire about information, Karl XI deigned to arrive at Polo Castle first, and then took a train to Moscow to interview Zhang Huangyan on relevant matters.
After the two met, Zhang Huangyan took out the autographed letter written by his respected master to Karl XI, because Ming Dynasty had only such an ally in Northern Europe.
If the two armies can coordinate operations, it will be equivalent to having 40,000 to 50,000 more friendly troops to cooperate, which will be of great benefit to the southward movement.
Karl XI was also very interested in this proposal, and the reason was very simple. The Ming Empire's air force and tank force were both number one in the world.
Our own troops join forces with the Ming army and have the dual advantages of firepower and air superiority. There is no pressure to deal with the Tatar cavalry group, which is mainly cavalry. No matter how many troops the opponent has, it will not help.
Zhang Huangyan directly assured that if his troops decided to go south, they would notify the other party as soon as possible. In terms of military mutual trust, Karl XI could rest assured of his decision.
Although the western part of the Ming Empire bordered Sweden, the two sides maintained close and friendly relations without any friction or conflict.
The economic and trade development between the two countries has been advancing by leaps and bounds, and Sweden has benefited greatly from this. It is eager to continue to deepen cooperation with the Ming Empire and achieve greater mutual benefit.
In 1700, Karl XI would once again visit the Ming Empire via the Northern Railway.
This year, the distance traveled was slightly closer, but it was a worthwhile trip to get Zhang Huangyan's personal guarantee.
After the interview, King Karl XI judged that the Ming army would take action within five years at the latest, and may move south as early as next year.
What this visit to Moscow provides is a period of military operations against the Tatars, not a point in time.
But Karl XI still saw the Ming army units that were replacing new equipment on a large scale, especially the "Hercules" bombers.
Zhang Huangyan said that only one hundred such bombers are currently deployed west of the Ural Mountains, and Karl XI believes that the actual number may be doubled.
With two hundred "Hercules" bombers clearing the way and carrying out carpet bombing in front, the Mingrui coalition forces will be invincible.
In the spring of 1698, in view of the brilliant victories achieved by the first two Western expeditions, Emperor Baocheng decided to launch a third Western expedition, with the target still being Brandenburg-Prussia.
This time it was not just about plundering them, but also about making them end up exactly the same as Bolli, and completely annihilating these two principalities.
Duke Frederick had tried his best to lead his more than 300,000 troops and 200,000 friendly troops to desperately resist the Tatar invasion, but the result was not ideal.
Almost all the invading enemies were cavalry, and their mobility advantage was very obvious. Whether it was defending the city or fighting in the field, the infantry of the Northern Alliance Army became a display most of the time.
The war against the Tatars that took place from the spring of 1697 to 1698 caused the Northern Allied Forces to lose more than 100,000 people.
The second war that began in the spring of 1698 made the Northern Allied Forces, already in a state of exhaustion, complain, and even Frederick himself began to become depressed.
In less than half a month, the Tatars began their second large-scale invasion. The number of troops was still as high as millions, giving them no chance to breathe.
Frederick was also extremely annoyed by Leopold's indifference and Turenne's selfishness.
Without the support of these two men, he could only rely on about 500,000 coalition soldiers, and he would be unable to stop the Tatars' onslaught.
After mobilizing again, the strength of our own troops is almost the same as last time, but the quality has dropped a lot, directly leading to a decline in combat effectiveness.
Devastated by successive wars, local residents fled to the west on a large scale, making it impossible for spring farming in the Prussian area, and Frederick had to give up the Prussian land.
Reduced its troops to Brandenburg and prepared for a decisive battle with the invading Tatars.
Half a million people are enough to defend the city, but fighting the opponent in a field battle is completely out of reach.
It's not that Frederick didn't work hard in the area north of Frankfurt on the Oder River (not Frankfurt in Hesse).
The 20,000 northern coalition cavalry blocked the 30,000 Qing troops who crossed the river and marched westward. The coalition fought hard for nearly two hours, killing about 3,000 Tatar cavalry and losing nearly 4,000 themselves.
However, he managed to repel the opponent, which was regarded as a tragic victory.
The victory in this battle was not enough to stop the Qing army's multiple river crossing operations. Taking advantage of the dry season of the Oder River, more than twenty Qing troops of similar size crossed the river westward.
More than 600,000 troops rushed to the west bank of the Oder River, and the Qing army on the northern route even invaded the Principality of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, led by the strange uncle and nephew.
William and his uncle Adolf had to give up the confrontation and began to defend themselves against the enemy.
Although it was not a joint operation, it was a rare end to the hostility between family members.
The total strength of the Principality of Mecklenburg-Schwerin exceeds 100,000. Facing the menacing Qing cavalry groups, they can only be dispersed and defended in various towns. The countryside has completely become a market for Qing troops to plunder at will.
Both William and Adolf were very angry about this, and each sent thousands of their own cavalry to repel a small group of Qing troops nearby.
It is relatively easy to kill hundreds of Tatars with just one or two sneak attacks.
But after being discovered by the Qing army, they heightened their vigilance and deliberately laid a trap, the Mecklenburg-Schwerin cavalry fell into the trap.
Five battles were fought in three days, and all were defeated. More than two thousand people were killed or captured alive. The others were so frightened that they fled and no longer dared to come and die easily.
The war was burning towards the Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, which was actually a good thing for Frederick.
At least he had one more ally who had to resist the Tatar invasion, two to be exact.
After giving up the Prussian territory, north of the Electorate of Brandenburg was the Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin.
Further north is the Mecklenburg Bay in the western Baltic Sea, and across the bay is the Danish island of Falst.
Separated from the island by a strait is Zealandia, where Copenhagen is located.
The defeated Danish forces now retreated to the northern parts of the Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin.
Once the war situation changes for the worse, the Danish fleet anchored in Mecklenburg Bay will pick up the country's army.
Frederick didn't know what the Tatars thought, but the Tatars wanted to plunder the Principality of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, and the uncle and nephew who disliked each other would definitely disagree.
Things developed as Frederick expected. Both William and Adolf were desperately resisting the Tatar invasion, and sent people to contact them to form a coalition to repel the hateful Tatars.
Although it is a little late now, it is not too late, not to mention Sobieski has previously expressed his willingness to send troops to fight hand in hand with Frederick's troops.
Probably Sobieski was too disappointed with Leopold, who was watching indifferently. He expected the emperor to restore his country, so it was better to find another ally.
As for Turenne…
The great European God of War is actually still watching the fun, with no thought of going north to support him!
Turenne had already made up his mind. Before the Qing army stopped attacking the South German area, he would give the order when the Ming army would take action.
The French army and he himself had no responsibility or obligation to save Sobieski and Frederick. If Leopold wanted to go, he would not stop him.
Turenne's reason for refusing to send troops was simple. The Qing army did not go out in full force, but only dispatched less than half of its troops.
Furthermore, there has been no news about the Austrian army, which is very strange. At this time, we must be more vigilant and take strict precautions.
As the strength of the French air force gradually increased, Turenne actually no longer paid attention to the Qing army.
For the Allies, the tactics of aircraft fleet and cavalry were enough to defeat the pure cavalry attack of the Qing army.
On the contrary, the Austrian army, which also has a fleet of aircraft, is very difficult to deal with. It is difficult to defeat the opponent in a short time.
The main task of the half-million French troops is to protect the southeastern region of France, as well as Switzerland, Venice, Austria, and South Germany.
other places……
I'm sorry, please wait two years before we talk!
After European Emperor Louis XIV communicated with the Ming Emperor, the other party agreed to help train bomber crew members in advance.
However, the first batch of "Hercules" bombers still had to be delivered to the French Air Force in 1700, and the number would not exceed twenty.
If twenty aircraft are delivered a year, the number will reach one hundred in five years.
Prior to this, two level six ironclads (Blücher) had been delivered to the French Navy.
French Navy Commander D'Estre was ecstatic about this, but this 10,000-ton ironclad ship could not drive to land.
In fact, it did not help at all to eliminate the Tatars. Turena could only wait for the delivery of the "Hercules" bombers.
For Sobieski, Frederick and others, from 1696 to 1700, the main force of the Allied forces had been entrenched in southern Germany. This move was undoubtedly selfish and fatal.
This directly led to the destruction of Poland and Prussia by the Tatars one after another, and the situation of Brandenburg, Saxony and the Principality of Mecklenburg-Schwerin was also extremely serious.
Millions of Tatar cavalry are like a massive army of locusts, constantly gnawing at the interests of the Holy Roman Empire.
Of course, Leopold knew this clearly, but it was difficult for him to give up the temptation of winning the war.
By following Turenne, the Allies will be able to win battles again and again, so leaving is not a certainty.
The French troops stationed on the Eastern Front, including the air force, were all under the command of Turenne.
It must be said that Louis XIV had 100% trust in this marshal.
Except for the first confrontation with the Tatars, which was considered a draw due to too few results.
The remaining three times all ended in Allied victory.
Of course, the fourth time was not as satisfactory, mainly because the defense of the Apennine Peninsula was too weak.
We can't pass all the responsibility to Turena, he can't take care of things that far away.
But in this area of Central Europe, the strategies and tactics adopted by Turena were undoubtedly more successful.
It is said that the Tatar Emperor was seriously injured before and died of his injuries on the way back, which led to the new king's succession.
Leopold believed that it was possible for him to achieve such a feat, but it was only possible.
Turena turned possibilities into real results. This is the value of a famous general.
Another point is that the Swiss army, the Venetian army, and the Roman army are now under Turena's command.
In fact, Leopold could only command a group of coalition forces from the Holy Roman Empire and the Principality of Austria. His own combat effectiveness was really unable to separate from the French army and carry out independent combat tasks.
As the Holy Roman Emperor, he had to obey the command of a French marshal, which undoubtedly undermined the emperor's majesty to some extent.
But in order to win the final victory, Leopold did not care about the pros and cons in this regard.
If the war situation continues to develop, I am afraid that I will soon be unable to become an emperor...
As the war in the north intensified, Leopold believed that Turenne would eventually be unable to stand it any longer.
In the spring of 1699, the Qing army dispatched up to two million troops and continued its massive attack on central and northern Germany from the east.
The war raged across Brandenburg, Saxony, Mecklenburg-Schwerin and the surrounding principalities, with tens of millions of people involved in the war.
Leopold was very anxious about this and hoped that Turena would send troops to rescue immediately, otherwise half of the Holy Roman Empire might fall into the hands of the Tatars.
Turenne was as calm and collected as ever, and at the same time advised Leopold not to be impatient and to continue waiting, otherwise all his efforts would be wasted.
When the war has developed to this point, neither the coalition nor the French army are any longer able to turn the tide of the war.
Only the Ming army's march south is the real force that determines victory or defeat!
Leopold increasingly believed that the French marshal was already suffering from dementia. He did not know when the Ming army would be able to send troops, so he pinned his hopes of victory on the other side.
If such a marshal were his subordinates, he would probably have been relieved of his military power the year before last and went home to coax his grandson...
Turenne's explanation is simple: If your Majesty wants a final result that is beneficial to you, then it is best not to care about the methods and specific processes used!
Even if you can't catch the thief who stole your wallet, isn't it okay as long as someone else can catch him and return the wallet to you?
Why do you have to catch the thief yourself?
Sometimes, knowing how to be flexible can not only save time, but also save lives!
If Leopold had sent troops to rescue Frederick and others before, let alone whether he was the emperor or not, he might not even be sure of his life or death now!
