nucmednet Chapter 1532
Chapter 1532
They conquered the Lydian Kingdom, the Neo-Babylonian Kingdom, Egypt, and other places, and their territory was quite astonishing.
Stretching from the Indus River in the east to the Balkan Peninsula in the west, it was the first powerful empire in human history to span three continents: Asia, Europe, and Africa.
If we trace back the timeline, this dynasty existed roughly during the late Spring and Autumn Period to the Warring States Period in the Central Plains.
Although it perished like other dynasties under the wheels of time, the strength of its civilization is undeniable.
Of course, even with a long history, its civilization was still far behind that of the Central Plains, the Celestial Empire.
Logically speaking, the Ming Dynasty's elite troops were equipped with superior firearms, making it very easy to defeat them.
Indeed, this was the case. At the very beginning of the war, the Ming army completely annihilated the enemy.
However, the problem lies in the fact that faith is so strong in Persia that almost everyone there has a devout belief.
When they realized they were unable to fight the Ming Dynasty, the higher-ups immediately made it public.
The key point is that when they made the announcement, they deliberately linked the Ming Dynasty's actions with religion.
It was like a fire that instantly ignited the anger and hatred of all believers in the country.
In an instant, everyone the Ming army encountered along their route became an enemy, and these people were incredibly fanatical.
Even if there were only one or two of them, they would still grab their weapons and fight the Ming army to the death, the kind of people who would rather die than lose a piece of your flesh.
Although these people don't cause any harm to the Ming army, you can't stand the constant barrage of them; they're as annoying as flies.
They attack at any time and in any place; they might raid a camp late at night while the camp is being set up for rest.
At the same time, it doesn't discriminate based on gender or age; whether it's a sixty- or seventy-year-old senior citizen or a seven- or eight-year-old child, they all go crazy like this.
But all of this was still acceptable. What really gave the Ming army a headache was what happened after they continued to penetrate deeper into Persia.
Those who were originally just charging with weapons somehow acquired gunpowder and even knew how to use it.
The woman and child who were crouching on the ground trembling just a second ago are now running towards you with lit explosives in their arms.
The Ming army was indeed caught off guard and suffered relatively minor casualties.
This is why the elite force that marched west did not have the same success as the two elite armies that marched south and north.
Because whether they went north or south, after they made a name for themselves, ordinary people didn't dare to provoke them.
On the Persian side, due to the presence of faith, the Ming army faced numerous fearless enemies everywhere.
Even with a revolutionary advantage in combat power and weaponry, it would be difficult to achieve anything in the face of a situation where the entire population is mobilized for war.
Under such circumstances, the commanding general had no choice but to send the battle report back to the capital, hoping that the imperial court could provide some reinforcements.
In the capital, when the news was first received, Zhu Yuanzhang and all his officials, except for Wei Wu, did not believe it.
The ministers believed that the generals leading the troops were not capable enough, which led to this situation. Some ministers even clamored for a change of generals on the eve of battle.
After all, the two armies that went south and north could do it, so why did things start going wrong with your western expeditionary army?
However, just when everyone was suggesting replacing the generals, Wei Wu stood up and rejected them, while expressing his understanding for the generals of the western expedition.
As for why he did this, the reason is simple: as a person from later generations, he understood all too well the value of universal conscription.
Whether it was the Japanese invasion or the Sixteen Kingdoms period of World War I, in which battle was it not the enemy who possessed more advanced weapons?
But what was the final result? Did they win?
No, no matter how strong or advanced their weapons are, they are doomed to defeat and destruction when faced with a Chinese nation that mobilizes its entire population to fight back!
It was precisely because of this that Wei Wu was able to understand the difficulties faced by the generals of the western expedition, and moreover, he knew better than anyone else how fanatical the faith was in Persia.
However, there are also advantages to religious fanaticism; with a little manipulation, it can completely turn the tide of the situation.
So when all the ministers agreed that the general should be replaced, Wei Wu stepped forward and said that he would personally go to Persia to handle the matter.
At first, the ministers and Zhu Yuanzhang all opposed it, but in the end they could not persuade Wei Wu and had no choice but to agree.
In Wei Wu's view, this trip to Persia was not dangerous at all, and could even be considered easy to handle.
Therefore, Wei Wu specifically brought his wife and child along, taking them to see some of the scenery of the Western Regions.
First, they flew by helicopter to Sichuan, and then took a train from Sichuan, which took seven days to reach the Western Regions.
They spent the entire journey sightseeing and enjoying the scenery, showing no signs of heading to the battlefield.
Meanwhile, the generals of the western expeditionary army never expected that their battle report would actually bring out the Duke of Zhenguo.
He thought Wei Wu had come to replace his general, after all, with such a good advantage, the battle had turned out like this.
However, after Wei Wu revealed his intentions, the general finally breathed a sigh of relief, thankfully the court had not completely given up on him.
As long as he cooperates well with Wei Wu in what he needs to do next, then he will have a chance to make amends.
Then, in the time that followed, this general treated Wei Wu like his own ancestor.
Although he didn't understand Wei Wu's demands, he didn't ask any questions and instead strictly followed them.
First, they found a translator who understood Persian, and then, as requested by Cao Cao, they sent the army directly to the Persian capital.
During this time, anyone who approached the army, regardless of age or gender, was killed. In the end, the army arrived at the main city amidst carnage.
However, upon arriving here, Wei Wu ordered the army to set up camp on the spot and did not attack the not-so-strong main city not far away.
Just as tensions were running high and a major battle was about to break out, darkness finally fell and night quietly descended.
However, with a major battle imminent, both the Ming army and the Persian army were on high alert.
From kings and generals to soldiers and civilians, no one could sleep peacefully, fearing that a great battle would break out at any moment.
However, just as everyone was on edge, a bright light suddenly appeared from the darkness and then exploded in the sky.
Although the blinding white light failed to illuminate the night as brightly as day, it did dispel some of the darkness in the sky.
Immediately afterwards, a statue whose appearance perfectly matched that of the Persian chief god appeared in the sky.
This dharma image, with its ambiguous and angry expression, looks like a deity descending to earth to punish evildoers.
At this moment, both the Persian people inside the city and the Ming soldiers outside were awestruck by the divine image in the sky.
Just as everyone was in shock, the statue suddenly spoke a passage in Persian.
The translated meaning is: The king has offended the gods, so the divine army has been dispatched to punish him, and all believers are not allowed to stop him!