Volume 3: Confrontation! The Run of Civilization Chapter 526 The Merchant of Venice
February 28, 1625, Palermo.
On the sea, there was an endless sea of warships, countless towering masts, and three ironclad ships emitting black smoke. In the harbor, hundreds of thousands of human heads that would make people with intensive phobia faint were turning into countless tributaries and pouring into the troop transports.
"Your Excellency the Duke, more than 50% of the soldiers and more than 60% of the equipment have been boarded."
"Okay, order the transport fleet that has already been loaded to set off first."
"yes!"
Following Duke Albrecht's order, hundreds of large transport ships began to raise their sails, and then sailed out of the port in an orderly manner amid the cheers of the crowd.
Palermo and Tripoli are very close, almost across the sea. But now that the Ottomans are retreating in large strides, the capture of Tripoli must be done, but it will definitely not be done with the main force. In fact, after the discussion of the front-line command, the offensive plan of the southern army was modified: the main force will not go to Tripoli, but to Crete. A new southern front-line command will be established there.
Crete originally belonged to ancient Greece, then to Rome, and then to the Byzantine Empire as Rome split. In the Fourth Crusade in Europe in 1204, the Crusaders did not fight the Crescentians, but instead captured Constantinople. The Byzantine Empire was interrupted, and Crete became the territory of Venice.
The dominant ethnic group on the island was the Greeks, who instinctively disliked the Venetians who led the Crusades to destroy the Byzantine Empire. When the Venetians first began to rule the island, the Greeks resisted violently. But later, the Ottomans rose strongly, and Crete became a frontline area next to the Ottomans. Under the common pressure of survival, the Greeks and Venetians had to put aside their original disputes and work together for warmth.
In short, at this time in Crete, the dominant population group was the Greeks, but the sovereignty and administrative power of the entire island was under the control of the Venetians.
The Venetians were of course very unhappy about the decision of the southern front command to temporarily change the plan and place the new forward base on Crete. But no matter how unhappy they were, facing the 300,000 new Spanish troops armed to the teeth, the Venetians could only accept it.
As a famous city-state republic in the Middle Ages, Venice was once powerful. At its peak, it even had a concession in Constantinople, Byzantium. Even after the rise of the Ottoman Empire, the Venetian fleet fought with the Ottoman fleet in the eastern Mediterranean for many years.
However, the rise of the Ottoman Empire cut off the trade routes in the East, and the rise of the Age of Exploration shifted the trade routes and wealth in the West, and Venice, located in the middle of the Mediterranean, became a dead end - the republic has now inevitably begun to decline.
Moreover, because the merchant atmosphere of this republic was too strong in history, and they dared to sell anything for profit, the Venetians had a very bad reputation in Europe . So much so that when Europe formed the Apennine Division this time, the source of soldiers was mainly recruited from Milan and Genoa at the instruction of Philip, and the Venetians were almost all rejected.
However, as one of the Mediterranean tyrants of the time, the Venetians still had a large merchant fleet. So this time, the navy's transport fleet mainly requisitioned merchant ships from Venice. Philip knew that these greedy guys would even sell God for money, so in order to make them do the transportation for him honestly, Philip gritted his teeth and handed over the task of purchasing and transporting rations for the 300,000 troops and hundreds of thousands of civilians on the southern line to Venice.
In short, although they were extremely unhappy, for the sake of money and, more importantly, the 300,000 rifles, the Venetians still honestly transported the new Spanish army safely to Crete.
The troops set out on the 28th and arrived on the evening of the 1st. After the army rested for two days and the headquarters on the island was set up, Duke Albrecht convened a military meeting of the front-line headquarters.
"Sir, the navy has found out that the port of Alexandria across the sea has been completely fortified, and all the sea areas suitable for landing in the port are already covered with mines."
"Humph, this is just the enemy's last-ditch struggle. We have control of the sea, and we have the right to maneuver. We can attack wherever we want, while the enemy can only huddle in a fixed stronghold and tremble, unable to go anywhere."
Facing the Spanish and Venetian officials below, Duke Albrecht certainly had to hold up the situation, but in fact, he had been scolded by Philip recently.
After he proposed the plan to attack Jerusalem first, his subordinates reported it to Philip before he could implement it. Then Philip gave him a stern handwritten Egypt first and then Jerusalem, or he could resign!
How could I resign? If I resigned before the war even started, wouldn't it be announced to the whole of Europe that I, Duke Albrecht, was a coward? Besides, how could I give up the position of commander so easily in such a sure-win war?
Therefore, Duke Albrecht had no choice but to lead his army towards Crete: after all, it was close to Alexandria, but it was also closer to Jerusalem.
"Our troops embarked in Palermo and disembarked in Crete, which was basically a large-scale landing exercise for the entire army. Many problems arose, but it doesn't matter if they arise now, as this can provide us with valuable experience for the landing in Alexandria."
After the commander-in-chief said a few polite words, the chief of staff, Marquis Spinola, stood up and said, "Now, the navy has selected a landing site for us. It is on a beach fifteen kilometers west of Alexandria. This beach has a flat terrain and a low tidal difference, which is convenient for us to land. The distance from Alexandria is also moderate, which will not give the enemy much opportunity to attack us, nor will it add too much pressure on our logistics."
"Thank you for your hard work, Chief of Staff. So, how many people do you think would be appropriate for the first landing?"
"Sir, I think three divisions are enough. We need to build a forward base there first, and then we can accommodate more soldiers and logistical supplies. Otherwise, if they all rush in at once, I'm afraid the logistical officers will collapse."
"What does the Navy have to say?"
"Your Excellency, the Navy agrees with the Chief of Staff's opinion."
"...Well, then, the first landing will be fully entrusted to the Chief of Staff."
…
Putting aside the three people in the southern front command who were already estranged from each other, late at night, in a country villa on Crete, in a secret room, two people began a secret conversation in the dark without a candle.
"Francisco, I really didn't expect you to come here in person."
"Your Excellency the Governor, is it okay for me not to come? The Spanish have occupied Venice's most important overseas territory in the name of attacking the Ottomans!"
"You should call me Giovanni, Governor? Well, you are lucky that you stepped down last year. It's like sitting on the crater of a volcano for me to take the position of Governor at this time."
"Haha, you didn't think like that during the election. At that time, you tried every possible way to attack my actions during my term."
"Elections are like this. Now, Francisco, why did you take such a big risk to come here this time? "
"Of course I am doing this for the future of our republic! Giovanni, don't you think that if this war continues like this, it is hard to say whether the Ottoman Empire will be destroyed, but Venice will definitely cease to exist?"
"..." Camaro Giovanni was the Doge of Venice at that time. From the moment he took office, he had to face a very cruel reality: the will of the powerful European Union or the powerful Spain was simply not something that Venice, which had already clearly declined, could stop. Especially after the European Union decided to launch a full-scale war against the Ottomans, the Venetians on the front line were involuntarily involved.
Looking at the silent Giovanni, the former Governor Francesco continued, "Since last year, our merchant ships have been requisitioned in large numbers. Although we have obtained the right to purchase logistical materials, the Spanish forces have recklessly poured into the Eastern Mediterranean in the name of war. Their troops are pouring in, and their merchants are not stopping either. Look for yourself, how many stores have the Spanish opened in the Apennine Peninsula now? Their goods are so cheap that our merchants can't compete with them at all. Now, they not only want to destroy our business, but also take away our land!"
"Francisco, I understand what you said. But what can I do? The Republic's finances are getting worse year by year, and it is no longer possible to maintain a large merchant fleet. What's worse is that we Venetians can't participate in the current military technology innovation in Europe. We don't have the money, and we don't have the new army. What can we do?"
"Hehe." A wicked smile appeared in the darkness: "Giovanni, our republic has ruled the Mediterranean for hundreds of years, and even resisted . But it is not entirely by our own strength."
"...Hiss, you mean, to form an alliance with the Ottomans?"
"Nothing is impossible. As long as the benefits are sufficient, anything is possible! Our ancestors led the Crusades to fight the Byzantine Empire to collect debts. In our generation, why can't we form an alliance with the Ottoman Empire to safeguard the interests of the Republic?"
"...Well, morally I don't feel bad. But, Francisco, in this war, the two sides have a huge disparity in strength. It's clear that the Ottomans will lose."
"Hehehe, that's not necessarily true. The Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire has made an offer that we cannot refuse. Moreover, in our opinion, the EU may not necessarily win this time."
"…Okay, what do you need me to do?"
"Encourage that stupid Duke Albrecht to attack Cyprus. Then lure him to Jerusalem step by step!"
