Mixed with salted fish in Hongwudang

Chapter 666 Ping Baoer’s confusion!

At the border of the Ottoman Empire, [-] well-equipped Ming expeditionary troops were waiting.

The general who led the army this time was not Chang Sheng, but Lao Zhu's adopted son Ping Bao'er.

Ever since he was recommended by Tang He to join the Northern Expedition Army, he has been fighting with Chang Sheng.

Now that the Timurid Empire, which is the most difficult thing to bite, has been taken down, Osman, the former defeated general of the Timurid Empire, is a free gain in everyone's eyes.

Therefore, in order to repay Ping Baoer for his unwavering following for so many years, Chang Sheng deliberately gave him this opportunity to make meritorious deeds.

As for Chang Sheng himself, he is setting up a dragnet all over the world to search for Timur's grandson Ma Heima, and is using high pressure to suppress the rebellion.

Although the Ming Dynasty prepared a very grand funeral for Timur, some people with ulterior motives spread the news and the Ming Dynasty brutally killed Timur, who was bent on seeking peace, and burned Baghdad, killing hundreds of thousands of soldiers and civilians.

Therefore, rebellions continued in Timur's empire, and from time to time, Timur's fanatical followers attacked grain transport and baggage convoys.

In this way, Ming Dynasty could only set up defenses everywhere to ensure the effective supply of military supplies.For some outlying cities, additional troops will be stationed.

On the one hand, it is to prevent sneak attacks, and on the other hand, it is to facilitate counterinsurgency.

Otherwise, Kangdu would receive news of a rebellion, but it would be useless if there were no troops around the rebellion site.

However, in this way, Ming's already stretched military strength would be even more insufficient.

Therefore, even if Chang Sheng attached great importance to Ping Baoer, he could only give him [-] troops to conquer the Ottoman Empire.

Although Ping Baoer only brought 5 people with him, the weapons and equipment he was equipped with were at the peak level of land warfare in the world.

Artillery opened the way along the way, and no city could last three hours in his hands.

It only took him ten days to fight from the Ottoman border to the Ottoman capital.

Bayezid was stunned when he heard the news. He thought about how he could survive for a few months. Who could have imagined that only ten days had passed and he was beaten to the door of his house!

Bayezid hurriedly came to the city wall and looked at the troops in formation below with bright flags and armor, and felt a sense of powerlessness rising from the bottom of his heart.

The artillery team of the Ming army under the city wall is in the front, and the firecrackers are in the back.There were [-] Mongolian and Yuan cavalry on each side as the two wings, enclosing the artillery and musket troops in a semi-enveloping posture.

Bayezid looked at the Ming army under the city and said with trembling lips.

"What should I do... what should I do..."

"God, please give me some instructions, wuwuwu..."

When the soldiers at the top of the city saw their emperor's attitude, the soldiers who had no courage to fight collapsed even more.

The reason why they are still standing on the top of the city is because they don't know where to go.

When the Ottoman Crown Prince heard that the Ming Dynasty was approaching with heavy troops, he also hurried over to check. Seeing his father losing his temper, he hurriedly stepped forward to help him up.

"Father, let's surrender!"

"drop?"

"Will the true God no longer bless us?"

"Father, don't think about the true God at this time, let's think about how we will live in the future!"

Murad is not religious, he is a typical pragmatist.If the true God can bless them to win the battle, then there is no harm in believing in him.If not, then decisively change your faith.

For example, Xinyang Daming...

Bayezid cried for a while on the city wall, and when his mentality collapsed, he immediately made a shocking decision.

"Murad!"

"From today on, you are the Emperor of the Ottoman Empire!"

"what?"

Murad heard this with an expression of disbelief on his face.

"Father, you are..."

Bayezid cried.

"My father is old. My father really doesn't have the strength and courage to face the Ming Dynasty. Look at the faces of the Ming Dynasty people..."

"You are still young. You must persevere. You must...don't forget to revive the Ottomans and revive the Koran!"

After Bayezid said this, he pushed his son away, ran towards the city wall, and then jumped down from the city wall.

Murad didn't react until he heard a muffled "bang" coming from under the city wall. He ran to the city wall like crazy and shouted at the top of his lungs.

"Father!"

Upon seeing this, the surrounding soldiers hurriedly surrounded Murad. They had just let the old emperor jump, and they had already failed in their duty. If they let the new emperor jump to his death again, who would lead them to surrender in the future?

"Your Highness, you cannot die..."

"Your Highness, my condolences. Your Majesty passed the throne to you before his death. You are now the Emperor of the Ottoman Empire!"

"I……"

"I don't even have a father anymore. What's the use of this throne? Wuwuwu..."

Murad is not a power-hungry person and has always had a good relationship with his father.

Now that he saw his father jumping off the city wall and dying, his already angry heart was filled with endless sadness.

"why!"

"I, Osman, am not guilty, why does God punish us like this, woo woo woo..."

Bayezid Pasha looked at Murad, who was crying in tears, and then at Bayezid, who had been smashed into meat cakes, and closed his eyes in pain.

"Your Highness, please cheer up and don't let your Majesty's sacrifice be in vain!"

"what?"

Murad managed to be attracted by Bayezid's words.

"Tell me clearly why my father committed suicide!"

"Your Highness, don't you understand yet?"

"Your Majesty wants to tell you whether he is dead or not. He was forced to death by the Ming Dynasty. We have a blood feud with the Ming Dynasty. Please never forget to revive Osman, revive the Koran, and avenge him!"

"I……"

Murad was not a determined person. He knew clearly that Ming was the aggressor, but he just couldn't hate Ming, and even had a faint admiration for him.

Both Bayezid Pasha and Manuel saw this, but Bayezid Pasha was only a teacher and could only fulfill the responsibility of admonition.In contrast, Manuel, the father, could do more. He directly used his own life as a weight to increase the weight of the Ottoman Empire in Murad's heart.

When Murad heard what Bayezid Pasha said, the sadness in his eyes gradually faded away, and a flame called hatred slowly rose.

"I understand!"

"I will never forget my father, nor Osman!"

After saying this, Murad pushed aside everyone, walked down the city wall step by step, and came to the heavy city gate.

"Open the gates!"

The soldiers guarding the gate had long been frightened by the Ming army outside. When they first heard this, they thought they were hallucinating.

"Your Highness, there are fifty thousand Ming troops outside the gate. If we open the city gate, they will definitely rush in..."

Murad roared upon hearing this.

"Then you're going to watch my father's body being eaten by wild dogs!"

"This……"

While everyone was hesitating, Bayezid Pasha came over and said to the soldiers guarding the door.

"Open the door, Daming is a teacher of benevolence and righteousness, and will not take advantage of others' danger!"

Bayezid Pasha had a high prestige in the Ottomans. Seeing what he said, the gatekeeper opened the city gate with suspicion.

The city gate was slowly opened. Instead of making any movement from the Ming army outside the city, they sent people to restrain the Ottoman Emperor who had been smashed into a meat pie.

This greatly moved the soldiers on the city wall. Even Murad was a little moved when he saw this scene. He asked over and over in his heart why all this was happening...

It turned out that as long as he surrendered to the Ming Dynasty, he could not only save Osman, but also his father.But why was everything suddenly lost?
"Prince Murad, our Lord will pass a message on his behalf for me, asking you to express your condolences and accept the change."

"As for the war, wait until you finish handling the old king's funeral. It won't be too late for us to discuss the date..."

Murad wiped the tears from his face when he heard this.

"Need not!"

"From now on, Osman fully surrenders to the Ming Dynasty and asks the Ming Dynasty to take over the city defense!"

"This……"

The two soldiers did not dare to agree after hearing this, and hurried back to report to General Pingbaoer.

When Ping Baoer heard this, he couldn't help but feel suspicious, thinking that Murad's words couldn't be deceptive, right?

No matter how you say it, his father just died, and he was frightened to death by Daming. How can he surrender so willingly?
"You go back and tell Prince Murad that there is no rush to surrender. It will not be too late to surrender after the funeral of the old emperor is finished!"

Murad couldn't help but have a sneer on his face when he heard the soldier's message.

"Da Ming is really a teacher of benevolence and righteousness..."

"Since you are not in a hurry, just wait. According to our custom here, the funeral takes seven days to complete!"

The soldier returned to the front of the formation and repeated Murad's words. This time it was Pingbao'er's turn to be worried.

He wanted to be generous, but he didn't want to give the other party seven days!

It costs a lot of money to eat horse chews for seven days. Should the Ottomans pay for this military expenditure?
Ping Baoer wanted to regret it, but when he thought that he was the one who spread the lies, he could only accept it with tears in his eyes.

However, he sent a telegram to Kangdu that day, informing him of his decision before the battle and asking the Ming Emperor to punish him.

Ping Baoer's telegram was meant to be polite, because regardless of his relationship with Lao Zhu or the military exploits he had accumulated over the years, the court would not punish him.

What's more, before the Ming Dynasty, he prepared the funeral for Timur with great fanfare. What he did was also a benevolent and righteous move in compliance with the court's policy. The court should praise him a few words.

While Ping Bao'er was happily waiting for the court's commendation document, he received a reprimanding telegram from Lan Yu, scolding him for being hypocritical and overestimating his own capabilities, and also asked him to take down Osman as soon as possible to avoid long nights and nightmares.

This made Ping Baoer very puzzled. He was clearly sending a telegram to His Majesty the Emperor, so why did he go to Lan Yu?
Ping Bao'er didn't dare to go against Lan Yu. If there was anyone Daming was afraid of, Lan Yu was definitely one of them.

After all, he is just the adopted son of Zhu Yuanzhang, while Lan Yu is the same generation as Zhu Yuanzhang. In the early years, he followed Chang Yuchun and called Lao Zhu his eldest brother.

Therefore, he must perform the junior ceremony in front of Lan Yu.

But this is not a problem for Ping Baoer. He also has people in the court, and he is the last minister of the Military Aircraft Department.

"Call General Chang Sheng and ask what happened in the court. Why did General Lan reprimand me and urge me to send troops?"

After Ping Baoer sent this telegram, he quickly received a reply from Chang Sheng.

"Don't ask why, take down Osman quickly!"

"Call me back as soon as you fully occupy the Ottoman Empire, and I'll tell you my next move!"

"This……"

Ping Baoer was a little panicked when he saw Chang Sheng's tone. What happened in the court? Why was everyone so anxious?
Now Osman's emperor has just died. If he sends troops at this time, he will become a mortal enemy of Osman!
Ping Baoer spent the whole night thinking about it in the military tent, but still couldn't decide to attack the city immediately.But with military orders from above and fifty thousand troops watching, he could only take risks.

"Tian Yong, this general has brought his personal camp to pay homage to the Ottoman Emperor. If anything happens to this general, you don't need to worry about my life or death. Immediately order an attack on the city."

"After the city is defeated, you will be the No. 1 destroyer of the Ottoman Empire!"

"what?"

"Commander, what are you doing?"

"If it's just a memorial ceremony, I can go there for you!"

Ping Baoer shook his head when he heard this.

"no!"

"If you go there, it won't be enough, and it will easily arouse the hostility of the Ottomans."

"Now our Ming Dynasty has made enemies everywhere in the Timur region. If the Ottomans who are doing this are also hostile to our Ming Dynasty, how many people can our Ming Dynasty have to manage such a vast area safely?"

"For the long-term peace and stability of this place, this risk is worth taking!"

Pingbaoer settled everything in the army and immediately led five hundred soldiers into the Ottoman capital and came to the palace to pay homage to His Majesty Bayezid.

When Murad saw Pingbaoer entering the city with only 500 people, a ridiculous idea immediately came to his mind. If Pingbaoer was detained at this time and forced the Ming Dynasty to retreat, wouldn't it be possible to save the Ottoman Empire? ?
Murad thought of this and immediately called teacher Bayezid Pasha aside. However, before he could speak, his teacher shook his head at him.

"Your Highness, don't act rashly!"

"The Ming Dynasty's army has strict military discipline and will never retreat just because there is no general."

Murad blushed in embarrassment upon hearing this.

"Teacher, I'm just eager for revenge..."

Bayezid Pasha comforted him gently after hearing this.

"Your Highness, the desire for revenge can only be hidden in your heart, how can you show it?"

"Now the Ming Dynasty is as hot and powerful as the sun at noon. We can only endure it. When the sun sets, we will replace the Ming Dynasty in one fell swoop and become the new rising sun the next day!"

Murad bowed respectfully after hearing this.

"What the teacher teaches is that students understand that from now on, students must respect Ming Dynasty and serve Ming Dynasty respectfully!"

Bayezid Pasha smiled happily on the way when he heard this.

"That's right!"

"Your Highness, please go and entertain Ping Bao'er. Although Ping Bao'er is from the Ming Dynasty, he is a kind-hearted person and is worthy of close friendship."

"From now on, if we surrender to the Ming Dynasty, we must have people who are inclined to us in the Ming Dynasty. Ping Bao'er is worth your investment."

"Oh...students understand."

Murad came back to the coffin and saw Pingbaoer putting incense on his father's coffin and sending elegiac couplets.

Although these things were not their custom, Murad was still very moved.

"On behalf of my father, I would like to express my gratitude to General Xie Ping for his kindness!"

"Your Highness, you are so polite. Being cautious and pursuing your goals is something our Ming Emperor has always admired. This general is just following orders."

"If you are really grateful, you should also thank me, His Majesty the Ming Emperor, for your benevolence and righteousness."

Murad forced a smile upon hearing this.

"It's time to thank..."

"But I still like General Ping's character..."

"General Ping can order people to take over the city defense at any time. Since I, Osman, have chosen to form an alliance with the Ming Dynasty, I will not be sloppy."

"The previous border conflicts were just misunderstandings caused by local generals acting on their own initiative and failing to understand my father's intentions."

When Ping Baoer heard what Murad said, he was secretly relieved, thinking that he could not refuse this time no matter what.

"Since His Highness said this, I won't be polite. I will order soldiers to enter the city now to defend the capital for His Highness to prevent other thieves from disturbing His Majesty Bayezid's peace!"

"There is General Laoping..."

Ping Baoer immediately ordered people to enter the city and occupied all the defense points of the Ottoman capital in just one morning.

After completing all this, he hurriedly called Chang Sheng to inform him of the matter.

He thought Chang Sheng would praise him a few words, but unexpectedly Chang Sheng just said he understood and asked him to stay put.

This puzzled him very much. Under normal circumstances, he should have left only a small number of defending troops, and then led the large troops to continue marching until the end of the land.

Why did General Chang Sheng ask him to stay put?

What are you waiting for?

We can't let him withdraw his troops, right?

(End of this chapter)