Chapter 826 The Battle of Mount Gabriel (thanks to Funny Dameng for the reward)
Smith must not have thought that his actions in East Africa would put the Great Empire into passivity again.
To put it bluntly, in the confrontation with the Great Empire, the Renaissance Army became stronger and stronger, and had more and more chips in its hands.
However, the people of Yu are getting weaker and weaker as they fight, and the chips in their hands are getting smaller and smaller.
Whether the confrontation is proactive or not is, to put it bluntly, a comparison of strength.
At the royal palace in Cairo, Smith was secretly meeting Ali Sultan.
"Your Majesty the Sultan, the Kingdom must resolutely fight back against the provocation of the Chinese in the south. The Foreign Minister of the Ba'ath Army just visited Istanbul. I think their actions in the south must have been discussed with the Ottoman Empire this time. Maybe they
Are you going to divide the Sultanate from the north and the south?"
Smith's words made Ali Sultan deep in thought.
The Ali dynasty relied on the support of the Chinese people and fought several wars with the Ottoman Empire before de facto becoming independent from the Ottoman Empire.
Smith mentioned the Ottoman Empire at this point.
Ali Sultan became more and more convinced.
"Mr. Smith, I told you not to mess with those Chinese last time. How will this situation end now?" Ali Sultan naturally knew that last time, Smith sent people to recruit Bedouins to attack the Renaissance Army in the south.
Because this matter must be supported by the Sultanate of Ali in Egypt.
Because the Bedouins of North Africa live in the desert west of Egypt.
If you want to attack the Ming Dynasty on the east coast, you must borrow a road from Egypt.
"Your Majesty, the last time we attacked the Ba'ath Army there was no necessary connection with their movement north. Even if the Bedouin borrowed a passage from the Sultanate of Lakh Ayitu, the Ba'ath Army cannot just say that the country will be destroyed. This is
Isn't that too overbearing? So saying Bedouin is just an excuse for them. Why do they want a small place like Tajoura?"
"Don't you want to use that as a foothold and head north?"
Ali Sultan nodded slightly after hearing this: "Mr. Smith, even if what you say makes sense, but we don't have the ability to fight on two fronts now, I still think that the most important thing is to defend against the Ottoman Empire. At this time, let us spread our forces to the north and the south.
We cannot fight this battle."
Ali Sultan is not stupid, and they are not rivals of the two great powers in any way.
"Your Majesty, that's all right. I'll deal with the threat from the Ottoman Empire for you, and you send troops to stop the Renaissance Army from moving north."
"Your Majesty, after all, they came all the way, so they can't send many troops at all. If we can quickly gather a large army here, we will definitely be able to drive them into the sea."
"But Mr. Smith, they still have a powerful navy in the Red Sea, which can attack our country's ports on the Red Sea coast at any time." Ali Sultan once again raised a concern of his.
"Your Majesty, no matter how powerful their navy is, they can't climb ashore, and no matter how powerful they are, they can't reach the Mediterranean. You have to know that your main trading port is on the Mediterranean coast. Not the Red Sea coast. Those coastal ports, you can temporarily
Move the population inward.”
"If those Renaissance troops land, let them see who is the expert in desert warfare. At that time, I will also find Bedouin to assist you in the battle."
After all, Smith is a senior diplomat and intelligence officer.
He finally persuaded His Majesty Ali Sultan to send troops to the Lakh Ayitu Sultanate.
In the name of assisting the restoration of his protectorate, he launched an attack on the Renaissance Army there.
At the same time, he ordered the port towns along the Red Sea to be relocated inland.
Historically, every inward migration of coastal people has been a tragedy.
The decision made by the Sultanate of Ali was very sudden, which gave the people in the towns along the Red Sea little time to prepare.
They could only abandon the small fishing boats on which they relied for a living and migrate to inland areas under the escort of soldiers.
The kingdom didn't even give them any decent compensation.
Some of them make a living by fishing in coastal areas, while others make a living by doing business.
However, if they were moved inland, they would instantly become bankrupt.
They can only work as slaves or tenant farmers in the homes of wealthy landowners.
The situation must be extremely miserable.
And the army of the Ali Dynasty finally marched southward along the Nile River in a mighty manner.
The Ali dynasty sent a total of 70,000 troops.
The Renaissance Army has only six divisions and nearly 50,000 people in the Lakh Ayitu Sudan area in the south.
Although numerically speaking, the Renaissance Army is at a disadvantage.
But considering the strong strength and weapons and equipment of the Renaissance Army.
These armies of the Ali dynasty were obviously no match.
Originally, they wanted to use the news that they were sending troops to lure the Renaissance troops to fight in the Nubian Desert to the north.
However, these Renaissance troops are very conservative and do not take the initiative to attack at all.
The armies of both sides finally met in the area east of the Galli Mountains in the northern part of the Lakh Ayitu Sultanate.
The reason why we met here is because this was originally the northern border of the Lakh Ayitu Sultanate.
Further north is the territory directly under the Ali dynasty.
Obviously, the Renaissance Army now regards this place as its own territory.
Now the Ming Dynasty has begun to migrate the people here.
Due to the previous invasion of the Bedouin, the entire northern part of the Ming Dynasty was almost emptied, and a large number of towns were massacred.
Therefore, after the original civilians of the Lakh Ayitu Sultanate were relocated, most of them were still able to obtain land.
The place where they originally lived has been basically cleared.
When the immigrants organized by the Renaissance Army arrive here, this place will become a relatively pure living area for Chinese people.
Dong Shuheng had long heard that the genes of black people were relatively strong, and the offspring of both men and women would be dyed black.
Just like Zhong Siming and Zhong Chongxiang, they are like this.
Therefore, Dong Shuheng proposed that a pure Chinese living area must be divided among the survivors in Africa.
Let the Chinese people in this area live relatively independent lives.
The current land of the Lakh Ayitu Sultanate is very suitable.
It happens that the local population is used to fill the gap in the Tadjoura area.
The coastal hilly area here is one of the few areas with abundant rainfall along the Red Sea coast, which is suitable for agricultural production. Fishing can also be developed in the coastal area. If it is developed by Chinese immigrants, it will soon develop.
On December 8, the army of the Ali dynasty of Egypt finally passed Asmara, and then followed the coastal road on the east side of Mount Xila to 10 kilometers northeast of Mount Gabriel.
At this time, except for one of the six divisions of the Renaissance Army in East Africa that stayed in the Tadjoura area, the other five divisions, with nearly 40,000 men, had all completed their defenses.
This battle did not pose much of a challenge to the Fuxing Army, although except for the 12th Division, which was a Class A division, the rest of these divisions were newly formed Class B divisions.
But the 70,000 Ali dynasty troops on the opposite side were even worse than the militia of the Renaissance Army.
Their greatest confidence comes from the more than 100 retired cannons equipped with the army.
On the road less than a few dozen kilometers away from the seaside, King Ali Sultan's army staggered forward. The main force had traveled thousands of kilometers to get here.
The auxiliary soldiers recruited by the Sultan in the south were shirtless, with their dark skin exposed, and were pushing the cannon forward with difficulty.
Each of these retired cannons of the Yin Army required four horses to drag them, but the condition of the dirt roads here was very bad.
Each cannon must be supported by ten auxiliary soldiers to push and pull it.
Mount Gabriel is only 690 meters above sea level and has a gentle slope. The Renaissance Army's artillery positions have been deployed on the mountainside.
In order to prevent the enemy from detouring, infantry positions were also set up on the top of the mountain.
The main infantry was deployed from the foot of the mountain.
On December 9, the battle started, and Ali Sultan's army discovered the deployment of the Renaissance Army in advance.
Originally, the Renaissance Army did not prepare for an ambush.
After all, this is the territory of the Lakh Ayitu Sultanate, and the army of the Ali Dynasty is not very unfamiliar here. They will inevitably strengthen their marching defenses.
As soon as the battle began, Ali Sultan's army deployed artillery in front of the formation.
Prepare to launch a charge from the infantry after the artillery bombardment.
This is their common tactic.
The main function of artillery is to intimidate the enemy and destroy the opponent's fortifications.
The Fuxing Army placed artillery pieces made of logs painted black in front of the formation, which really confused the opponent.
After the opponent's artillery was deployed, the artillery hidden on the hillside by the Renaissance Army was so high that it just covered Ali Sultan's artillery.
Suddenly, Ali Sultan's army was surrounded by earth and rocks flying in front of the formation.
The army commander finally saw what real artillery bombardment was.
Hundreds of artillery pieces from five divisions of the Renaissance Army were used together, and their power exceeded that of an artillery division.
A revival army had already detoured to the rear of Ali Sultan's army in advance and attacked their auxiliaries and baggage teams.
The fleeing auxiliary troops began to retreat towards the base camp of the front army.
The Renaissance Army took the opportunity to kill them.
At the foot of Galli Mountain, after the Renaissance Army attacked the opponent's artillery position, the artillery fire extended forward, and the infantry immediately launched an attack on the enemy.
Ali Sultan's army first organized defense on the spot.
However, they did not have a preset bunker, and the defense line was greatly threatened by the Ba'ath Army's artillery.
The Renaissance Army is still unable to achieve precise infantry-artillery coordination. It's not that they don't know the method, but that the accuracy of current artillery cannot meet the requirements of infantry-artillery coordination.
But the infantry commanders of the Baath Army were already aware of the attack following the extended artillery barrage from a distance.
Ali Sultan's army did not expect that the opponent's artillery was so powerful.
The 107th Division of the Renaissance Army fought its way down the hillside to the west, and the 108th Division fought its way out of the woods to the east.
At this time, Ali Sultan's army was not all on the front line due to terrain reasons.
Although they have 70,000 people, their military strength is not superior in local battlefields.
Under the artillery bombardment of the Renaissance Army, the front line of Ali Sultan's army had completely lost its formation.
The attacking troops of the Renaissance Army took the opportunity to pass through and divide and surround the enemy's forward troops.
The fighting started at noon and continued until evening.
After being dispersed by the Baath Army, some commanders of Ali Sultan's Army dispersed and broke out with their troops.
Those who are lucky can escape to the north smoothly, while those who are unlucky may directly collide with the Renaissance Army.
On the tenth day of December, after a short rest, the Renaissance Army continued its pursuit northward until it reached the east side of Shila Mountain in the north, where it was blocked by Ali Sultan's blocking army.
There was a colonel officer in Ali Sultan's army named Mushatta. He expressed his opposition to the expedition to the Lakh Ayitu Sultanate, so he was placed in a back-up position.
It was this young and enlightened colonel of the Ali Dynasty who saved this army.
He set up a blocking position on the east side of Index La Mountain, which was exactly the same as the Renaissance Army's method.
It's just that he lacks artillery in his hands.
Otherwise, the leading troops of the Renaissance Army chasing the enemy would probably be severely damaged here.
Mount Index is nearly three thousand meters above sea level and is located in the northeastern corner of the Abyssinian Plateau. It is also the dividing line between the Ali Dynasty and the Abyssinian Solomon Dynasty.
The distance from here to the Red Sea coast in the east is less than 100 kilometers, and the narrowest point is less than 50 kilometers.
It is an important strategic channel connecting the north and south along the Red Sea coast.
Mutasha chose to block the Renaissance Army here, and his vision was very vicious.
The 107th Division, the vanguard of the Renaissance Army, tried to attack several times but failed to gain any advantage.
I don’t know how Mutasa managed to integrate those defeated troops into his own men.
Some of the defeated soldiers even threw away their weapons and still stood firm in the position set by Mutasa on the hillside.
On December 15, the artillery of the Renaissance Army finally arrived.
An attack was immediately launched on the hillside. The shells caused landslides and many of Ali Sultan's troops were buried under the earth and rocks.
But the remaining people still persisted in fighting.
Mutasa even used these few days to dig tunnels in the mountains, and asked soldiers to hide in the tunnels when they were bombarded.
Seeing how determined the other party was in resisting.
After discussion, the commander of the Renaissance Army decided to stop the battle line here.
They have overfulfilled their combat missions.
The original goal given to them by the military was to occupy the Sultanate of Lakh-Ayitu and repel any possible counterattack by the Ali Dynasty.
Now they not only repelled the counterattack of the Ali Dynasty, but also pushed the front to Index La Mountain in the north.
The terrain here is difficult and is more suitable for use as a border.
Although this battle lasted only a short time, less than 20,000 of King Ali Sultan's 70,000 troops finally fled to Mount Shila.
In other words, they lost nearly 50,000 troops.
Just when the Renaissance Army stopped.
Ali Sultan's envoy finally arrived belatedly.
His Majesty Ali Sultan is not too arrogant yet. He has already prepared diplomatic envoys for negotiations in the important city of Asmara in the south.
The envoy arrived and found the troops on the front line, but the troops did not want to negotiate with them.
In the end, the envoy could only talk to the Ming Dynasty.
Zhong Siming conveyed the military's intention to Ali Sultan.
The request of the Renaissance Army was very simple. As the party that provoked the war, Ali Sultan should compensate 5 million taels of silver for military expenses. This was considering that Ali Sultan was indeed very poor and did not have that much money, so the money could be compensated with wheat.
At the same time, the two sides used Shila Mountain as the boundary, and the south of the mountain pass was the land of the Ming Dynasty.