Volume 3: Confrontation! The Run of Civilization Chapter 529 Morris is online again
“Da da da…Crack!”
Under the fierce firepower of the Maxim machine gun, a tree with a trunk as big as a bowl was easily broken in half. Amid the sound of the tree falling to the ground, Maurice and his brother Frederick Henry, who had just been dragged out of prison, looked serious and fell into long thinking.
After a long while, Philip's gentle voice sounded: "My Lords, how do you feel?"
"…Your Majesty, after the appearance of this thing, whether it is the Spanish square formation, the Morris horizontal formation, or the dense flintlock formation created by Prince Rudolf, they have all been completely eliminated. In short, in front of machine guns, anyone who continues to use dense infantry tactics is committing a crime!"
"Hahaha, you are indeed the top professional soldiers in Europe. How about it, both of you? Can you agree to my request and serve as the commander of the European coalition forces? Help me support the offensive on the southern front?"
The Orange-Nassau family had been the largest noble landowner in the Netherlands since the 15th century. Over the past few hundred years, its relationships in the Netherlands were tangled. Therefore, letting the brothers Maurice and Frederick serve him was not only a matter of adding two outstanding commanders, but also a way to completely appease the Dutch people: the Netherlands was now Spain's largest source of tax revenue, with annual payments to the Spanish treasury reaching around 23 million yuan, far exceeding the 15 million yuan paid by the American colonies.
"You two, the House of Orange has been a loyal vassal of the Habsburg family for hundreds of years. Although I cannot agree with the rebellion you led before, I must admit that the former king's bigotry in religious policy and the fact that he only asked for money from the Netherlands and lacked the necessary support and protection for the Netherlands were very wrong."
"Now." Philip spread his hands. "I have implemented a policy of religious reconciliation throughout Europe, treating the legitimate rights and interests of Dutch merchants as the same as the rights of Castilians and protecting them. The English pirates that troubled the Dutch in the past have now basically disappeared. The entire Dutch industry has been closely linked to Spain and even the whole of Europe because of the Industrial Revolution. Therefore, I think it is very unwise to still be entangled in the independence of the Netherlands at this time."
"..." After a long silence, Maurice glanced at Frederick, then stood up and said, "Your Majesty, we are willing to accept your call and serve you. However, we are rebels after all. Are we going to take over such a large army right after we are released from prison? Moreover, although Marquis Spinola and I have fought many times on the battlefield, I must admit that he is a soldier who is extremely loyal to you and is also very good at fighting. Why do you want me to be superior to him abruptly when he has not made any obvious mistakes?"
"Please don't worry about this. Your talent has convinced everyone. At least you have no problem in being the commander-in-chief of the southern front. As for the Marquis Spinola you mentioned, I have signed a new order to let him go to America to serve as the governor of the Viceroyalty of New Spain. The Marquis has gone bankrupt several times for this country over the past few decades. It's time for him to go to America to make a fortune."
"...Okay, in that case." Morris half-knelt down: "I accept your call and serve you, my majesty."
"Hahaha, thank you for your support. Well then, Maurice of Nassau, I hereby confer upon you the title of Count of Tripoli, and formally appoint you as the commander-in-chief of the European Allied Forces on the southern front, with a tentative rank of general. Please set off for your post as soon as possible."
"As you command, Your Majesty."
In March 1625, Duke Albrecht, the commander-in-chief of the European coalition forces on the southern front, was captured alive by the enemy. In the same month, Philippe appointed the Maurice brothers to take over as commanders of the southern front.
After fully observing and personally using the EU's standard weapons, and knowing that the enemy also had corresponding weapons, the Morris brothers boarded the ship in Rome with mixed feelings and headed towards Alexandria.
"Broer, are we really going to give up what we've been pursuing our whole life to play for Espanyol?"
"Frederick, I know it's difficult to change this emotional inertia, but now, we must win this battle for His Majesty Philip."
Morris, now 58 years old, died in 1625 in this historical plane. However, in this plane, thanks to the progress of medicine, his health is still good.
"Frederick, as professional soldiers, we used to only fight wars and not care about other things. However, after the death of John van Oldenbarnevelt, I realized in the past ten years that the problem of the Netherlands is not just a military problem. Politics, especially the economy, is more important. Now, the Netherlands has been completely tied to Spain economically, and countless emerging Dutch people have made a fortune because of the Industrial Revolution. Under such circumstances, the independence of the Netherlands is completely hopeless, at least in the short term. Therefore, we must change our thinking and position at this time, and first establish a solid position for ourselves through this war."
"What happens after this war is over?"
"After it's over?" Morris smiled softly. "I have no doubt about the victory of this war, but what will happen after the victory?" He spread his hands. "Who can tell for sure?"
Then, he said in a serious tone, "Frederick, the troops we brothers have commanded before have never exceeded 30,000. Now we have the command of 300,000 troops all at once. This is a huge challenge for both you and me. I need your full help."
"Of course, Broer. Haven't we cooperated well over the past few decades? However, I still think that His Majesty Philip is too confident. Isn't he afraid that we will rebel again?"
"Rebellion?" Morris smiled softly. "How to rebel? We are located on the southern front, and the army there is mainly composed of Castilians. Even though there are many Indo-European mixed-race people and even blacks in the 300,000 troops, they are just ordinary soldiers, and there are very few low-level officers. Besides, the form of modern warfare is different from that of the past. According to the weapons that His Majesty showed us, guns without bullets are not even as good as the long guns of the past. And bullets? As far as I know, only the arsenal in Asturias can produce them in Europe... And Asturias? Hey, do you know that among the 300,000 troops on the southern front, only 50% are Castilians? More Castilians have been drawn out to form the King's Guards, stationed in Madrid and Asturias."
"Well, as you said, modern warfare is more dependent on logistics. But I still think that it is risky for him to send us to the southern front. Isn't he afraid that we won't work hard?"
"Dear Frederick, after all these years, you still think like a soldier." Maurice patted his brother on the shoulder. "It would be great if we can win this war quickly. Even if we can't win it quickly, it will still be beneficial to Spain if the war drags on like this."
"Why do you say that?"
"A protracted war is the greatest test of a country's strength. Now, the EU, which has continuous blood transfusions from America and Africa, is not afraid of a protracted war with the Ottoman Empire. On the contrary, due to the continued high pressure of the war, Spain can take this opportunity to further deepen its ties with European countries through the EU."
"Hiss~ So, does His Majesty have a good grasp of the general situation?"
"Yes." Morris nodded solemnly: "What your majesty fears most is that the commander goes crazy and forces a large number of soldiers to attack the enemy's defense line, and then the Castilians suffer heavy casualties. To be honest, if Duke Albrecht is the commander, this situation is really possible. And now?" Morris spread his hands: "We are all Dutch, do we dare to do this?"
"...In this case, the fighting on the northern front will be fierce?"
"It's very likely. After all, those two men are from the European coalition forces. They won't feel bad at all for using the lives of soldiers from other countries to gain their own merits."
"...So, after the war, most of the young people in Spain survived, but many young and strong people in EU countries died. His Majesty Philip has a good idea."
"Hahaha, Frederick, you are starting to mature."
On April 3, the brothers arrived at the Spanish army camp fifteen kilometers southwest of Alexandria and were warmly welcomed by Marquis Spinola.
"Hahaha, Mr. Morris, I never thought that one day we would become colleagues."
"Your Excellency, we are honored to serve the same king with you. I am very terrified to replace you."
"Hey, don't say that. It is an unforgivable mistake for any chief of staff to lose his commander. Instead of punishing me, His Majesty allowed me to go to America to enjoy my life. I am very satisfied. Next, do you want to rest?"
"I want to understand the current battle situation as soon as possible."
"Okay, please follow me."
After the group arrived at the operations room, Spinola was not polite and directly took up the baton: "You two, we already have ten divisions, 150,000 people landed here, and are gradually deployed. Our vanguard has already approached the enemy's outer western and southern defense lines about two or three kilometers away. It's just that Duke Albrecht is now imprisoned in Alexandria, so the full-scale attack has not yet begun."
"Yes." After looking at the detailed deployment map of his own troops, Morris looked up and said, "Everyone, the Duchess is now actively raising funds, but the asking price of 5 million is too expensive. Therefore, necessary negotiations are still needed. Moreover, I came here this time with the will of His Majesty Philip. His Majesty said that this all-out war against the Ottomans is a holy war launched by the Lord's believers against the pagans. Since His Excellency the Duke is called a 'pious man', he should have had such an awareness a long time ago. Therefore, I mean to send an envoy into the city as soon as possible to negotiate with the other party, and strive to redeem His Excellency the Duke within 1 million yuan. If the enemy does not agree to such conditions, we should still follow the plan and launch the attack as soon as possible."
"I will obey your majesty's order."
"Okay, next, everyone, please get ready. I will be at the front line tomorrow to observe the enemy's defense system."
…
It was late at night, and Giovanni, the Doge of Venice, quickly sneaked into Maurice's room.
"Sir, please consider my suggestion carefully. Now, the defense of Alexandria is really indestructible. Instead of wasting a large number of soldiers' lives here, it is better to avoid the strong and attack the weak, and take Cyprus and Jerusalem."
"...Well, the Governor's suggestion is very interesting."
