Chapter 342: Follow me! Set foot on the vast mountains and rivers

Baghdad city.

On the city wall, swords and spears were like a forest, reflecting cold light. The defenders stood tall, ready for battle, staring closely at the seemingly endless army outside the city, their atmosphere heavy and solemn.

The young emperor of the Ottoman Empire stood upright, his figure elongated in the afterglow of the setting sun, looking particularly lonely and tall, and he felt quite emotional.

Back then, the warriors of the Ottoman Empire, with their fearless courage, snatched the impregnable city of Baghdad from the powerful Timurid Empire, writing a glorious page in the empire.

Times have changed. Now the army of the Ming Empire is approaching, intending to snatch this city that symbolizes glory from him again.

For the vast and powerful Ottoman Empire, Baghdad may be just one of many cities, and losing it will not shake the foundation of the empire. But as the emperor of the Ottoman Empire, he knew that this city was more than just a city. It carried the glory of the empire and was a symbol of his dignity as an emperor.

Therefore, he personally led a large army to compete with the Ming Empire.

Why is he so persistent?

Because the outcome of this war will determine who can become the overlord of this world, who can stand at the top of the world, overlooking all living beings, and become the unique world emperor throughout history.

This supreme honor made the fire in his heart burn fiercely and could not be extinguished.

He held the extremely sharp sword tightly in his hand, and the blade reflected the light of the setting sun. He looked through the smoke and dust, looking directly at the magnificent and war-ready army outside the city, and a fiery ambition rose in his heart.

“Come and fight!”

His deep and firm voice echoed on the city wall, and the fighting spirit in his eyes was like a blazing flame, illuminating the faces of every soldier around him.

……

Under the city wall, dust was flying and war horses were neighing. Zhu Qizhen sat high on a majestic war horse, with an upright posture and sharp eyes, looking into the distance at the towering Baghdad city wall.

His armor gleamed brightly in the sun, like a descending god of war, emitting an indescribable majesty and dominance.

“Your Majesty, according to the precise intelligence of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, the emperor of the Ottoman Empire is now in that city.” On the side, Yang Guifang, who was also riding on a warhorse, reported to Zhu Qizhen, his eyes full of anticipation.

Zhu Qizhen smiled faintly when he heard this: “Westerners call him a conqueror out of fear. Humph, I want to see whether he, the so-called conqueror, is more powerful, or I, the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty, am better.”

Going all the way west from Samarkand, across thousands of mountains and rivers, they finally arrived outside the city of Baghdad and joined forces with the elite main force of the Ming Dynasty.

Along the way, he saw countless landscapes and truly experienced the vastness of the world.

Such a beautiful country, how can a good man not step on it?

At this moment, a strong wind blew past, blowing up gusts of yellow sand.

He slowly turned his head and glanced at the 100,000-strong army behind him. All the soldiers were in high spirits, their armors were bright, their battle flags were fluttering, their eyes were burning with fighting spirit, and they were ready to draw their swords, waiting for the order from him, the emperor.

“Go, send someone to issue a challenge!” He ordered in a deep voice, “Tell Bayezid that I will wait for him on the vast plain outside the city tomorrow. I will give him a chance. The two armies will fight face to face in an open and fair manner.”

“As you wish.” Yang Guifang nodded in acceptance of the order.

Soon, a group of riders rushed out and quickly reached the foot of the city wall, and issued a challenge from the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty to the defenders on the city wall.

The young Ottoman emperor on the city wall laughed proudly and accepted the challenge of the Ming Emperor.

……

night.

In the central military tent, Zhu Qizhen summoned all the generals for a pre-battle meeting.

Yang Guifang, Wang Yue, Cao Qin and others stood in front of him. He glanced at these young generals and laughed confidently: “With you, I have full confidence.”

“Your Majesty, you can just command the central army in tomorrow’s battle.” Yang Guifang said.

“Yes.” Wang Yue waved his hand. “Your Majesty, just watch. I am willing to be the vanguard and break their central army. We will completely defeat them before dark and will not delay your majesty from entering the city for dinner.”

Cao Qin glanced at him and said, “Of course I will be the vanguard! Wang Yue, you are the main general, so of course you will be with General Yang, commanding the left and right armies. I don’t have your strategy, but I can fight, so I will be the vanguard.”

The two of them refused to give in to each other and started arguing.

Zhu Qizhen waved his hand to interrupt them and said with a smile:

“Don’t fight anymore. Each of you has your original position. Yang Guifang is the commander-in-chief, sitting in the center of the army. Wang Yue is the commander of the left wing, and Cao Qin, you are the commander of the right wing.”

“I have the least time, I will be the pioneer!”

“The soldiers will surely be greatly encouraged when they see me charging at the front.”

The three of them said in unison: “Absolutely not!”

Yang Guifang was speechless and said, “Your Majesty, if anything happens to you, we will die, but that won’t make us atone for our crime. You can’t charge into the enemy’s territory. How can an emperor charge into the enemy’s territory in person?”

“Why not? Emperor Taizong led the troops in person.” Zhu Qizhen snorted, “Besides, if we talk about fighting, even if you all come together, you are no match for me.”

The three of them were silent, because the emperor was telling the truth. If anyone in the army was the best fighter, it was the emperor. “It’s too dangerous,” Wang Yue said, “Swords have no eyes.”

Zhu Qizhen didn’t care: “It doesn’t matter, I can protect myself. Besides, I am surrounded by elite Jinyiwei. If the situation goes wrong, they will protect me.”

Yang Guifang was still worried and said, “The Ottoman Empire learned heavy cavalry from the Roman Empire. They will definitely use heavy cavalry to stop us tomorrow. Their heavy cavalry is extremely powerful.”

“Very good, I will defeat their heavy cavalry.” Zhu Qizhen said, “Then, our lancers will follow behind. After they sweep across, they will split into two wings, and the cavalry behind will press forward, and the infantry will go up to harvest at the end.”

Seeing that the emperor had made up his mind, they had no choice but to do this.

……

The next day.

On the vast plain, the wind howled, shuttling between the two armies and making the battle flags flutter.

The army of the Ming Empire, with its bright armor and arrayed like peaks. The soldiers held spears and had resolute eyes. Although the wind was mixed with fine sand, it did not reduce their fighting spirit at all. The dragon and phoenix patterns embroidered on the battle flags were more vivid in the strong wind, leading the soldiers.

On the other side, the Ottoman army was also on high alert, their armor flashing coldly in the sun. The Ottoman flag, with the star and the moon as its symbol, fluttered high in the wind. It was a symbol of faith and glory, inspiring every soldier to fight for the glory of the empire.

The air was filled with the restless breathing of war horses and the occasional sound of weapons colliding. These subtle noises were particularly harsh in the silence, and each one struck the tense hearts of the soldiers on both sides.

Swish!
Zhu Qizhen drew his long sword, rode out on his horse, and spoke like thunder:
“My fellow men of the Ming Dynasty, today, follow my banner closely, ride my horse and whip my whip, and trample the vast mountains and rivers under your feet!”

“I want you to join me and ride on the enemy’s camp!”

“I want you to join me in the bloody battle!”

“I am the Son of Heaven, and wherever I go is the way of the king!”

After saying this, he took the lead in charging, and the vanguard army followed closely behind him, rushing forward. The emperor was risking his life, so who would dare not charge?

Yang Guifang, who was in charge of the central army, fixed his eyes on the charging emperor, watching him like a sharp sword, breaking through the enemy’s formation. The emperor raised his sword and heads flew everywhere.

“Even though Yu is so brave, he cannot compare to our Majesty.” Yang Guifang sighed.

……

The fierce battle lasted until dusk, when the last rays of sunset slowly sank into the horizon, shrouding the entire battlefield in a dim and tragic atmosphere.

Zhu Qizhen held a broken spear in his hand, the spear was mottled and bloodstained. His armor had long been shattered in the fierce battle, and his body was soaked in blood, both from the enemy and himself.

The Ottoman army showed unimaginable tenacity and perseverance. They seemed tireless and fearless of life and death. Even in the face of the fierce offensive of the Ming Empire, they vowed to never retreat. In every charge and every battle, countless people fell.

On the battlefield, smoke filled the air, flames shot up into the sky, the shouts of the two armies and the neighing of the horses continued. The two sides fought back and forth, the battle was extremely stalemate, and the whole world was shaking.

Every inch of the battlefield was soaked in blood and filled with the pungent smell of blood.

Finally, the Ming army broke through the last line of defense of the Ottoman Empire. The Ottoman army was already defeated and could not recover.

When the last rays of sunset disappeared on the horizon, only the cheers of the Ming Empire soldiers remained on the battlefield. Zhu Qizhen stood on the battlefield, slowly raised the broken gun in his hand, and saluted the dead soldiers.

“Your Majesty, they have escaped and the gates of Baghdad are wide open.” Yang Guifang rode over to report.

“Enter the city!” Zhu Qizhen ordered.

The Ming army marched into Baghdad. Zhu Qizhen sat on horseback and said to Yang Guifang beside him: “After entering the city, hold a celebration banquet!”

“As you wish.” Yang Guifang nodded.

“Order the entire army not to destroy those mosques and universities.” He issued orders continuously.

He did not relax because the emperor of the Ottoman Empire was not dead. The Ottoman Empire only lost a city, and they still had strong power.

“Your Majesty, you don’t have to continue the Western Expedition.” Yang Guifang said, “You are Your Majesty, and it is enough for the soldiers to know that you are here.”

Zhu Qizhen frowned.

Indeed, as an emperor, he could not stay on the battlefield all the time.

“We’ll talk after the celebration banquet.” He smiled and waved his hand, “Tonight, I will not leave until I am drunk with my soldiers.”

After the battle, the soldiers needed to vent, so he immediately held a celebration banquet. Moreover, he would also give out rewards, including those captured Ottoman court women.

“Yang Guifang, you are not married yet, right?” Zhu Qizhen smiled, “Zhang Lun already has a child.”

“Ah, I’m not in a hurry.” Yang Guifang smiled awkwardly.

Zhu Qizhen turned and looked towards the east, thinking of someone in his mind.

(End of this chapter)