Chapter 736: The Century Battle

The Wolf Pack of Wangchuan in Liaodong has begun to counterattack.

In Central Asia, the great army of the Ottoman Empire has finally met the Liangzhou Cavalry head-on!

One hundred thousand against one hundred thousand.

Sipahi against Liangzhou!

Everyone is watching.

What is a Sipahi? It is also transliterated as Spahi! In the Persian language, it means army. The Sipahi Cavalry were the military feudal landlord cavalry of the Ottoman Empire, and their status in the Ottoman Empire was equivalent to that of knights in Europe. However, unlike European knights, they were not hereditary.

Together with the later Janissary, they constituted the main military force of the Ottoman Empire.

Because the predecessor of the Ottoman Empire, like other Central Asian countries, was also a nomadic people, the Ottomans adopted the military organization and system of the Sipahi, which was a feudal land grant system. I will not go into detail about that here.

When the Sipahi Cavalry first emerged, they were originally light cavalry, but with the evolution of the era, by the fifteenth century, a large number of heavy cavalry equipped with heavy plate armor also appeared among the Sipahi. But by this time, the Sipahi Cavalry had actually begun to decline. As the status of the Janissary in the Ottoman Empire became increasingly important, and with the corruption of the feudal land grant system, the status of the Sipahi was not what it once was. Especially after the paid Janissary were massively expanded, under the influence of the collapse of the feudal land grant system, it became increasingly impossible to maintain the Sipahi.

In the end, the Sipahi Cavalry also became a part of the Janissary.

However, by the seventeenth century, the fates of the two sides diverged once again.

What is the Janissary?

It is very simple: it is the Turkish Imperial Guard.

This is also the biggest problem currently existing in the Ottoman Empire. That is the rivalry between Christians and Islam.

We have also mentioned this before.

The strength of the Ottoman Empire was due to their tolerance toward Christians, which allowed their conquests to proceed more smoothly. Therefore, at the height of their power, the Ottomans had reached the Mediterranean Sea. However, conflicts of religious belief always existed.

And these Janissaries were fanatical followers of Islam! They would never marry in their entire lives, and they could not engage in handicrafts or commerce. Their pay was generous, and those who performed meritorious service could be promoted to high-ranking officials.

But later on, these systems began to loosen, becoming hereditary and suffering from disciplinary decay. By the time of Murad III, to celebrate the circumcision of a Prince, everyone could join the army, which caused the Janissary to completely lose their combat effectiveness, becoming bloated and infinitely increasing the financial pressure on the Ottoman Empire.

In the end, the Janissary transformed into a tool for palace intrigue, with their barracks becoming the source of palace unrest and rebellion.

In 1622, the Janissary killed Sultan Osman II and enthroned the mentally ill Mustafa I, and this Erdogan is the eldest son of Mustafa!

As of this moment.

Erdogan is actually pro-Janissary. After all, his father's throne was delivered by the Janissary.

Likewise, he also knows... the internal strife within the Ottoman Empire at this time.

In the days prior, the Sipahi suffered a crushing defeat in Europe. From then on, the Sipahi, representing the power of the civilian feudal lords, were forced to join the Janissary, but the hatred and rift between the two sides had always existed.

It is very complicated.

Every country is complicated, let alone the Ottoman Empire, whose territory now spans across Asia, Africa, and Europe?

Therefore.

For Erdogan, this battle must be won!

The Sipahi cannot lose again!

If they lose again!

These Sipahi Cavalry, who have always regarded honor as their life, will certainly rebel!

"You lot in the Imperial Guard, what kind of nonsense are you commanding? It would be better if we played our own game!"

The pressure is immense.

One hundred thousand Sipahi Cavalry and one hundred thousand Imperial Guards are not of one mind.

At this moment.

Zhai Shiqing's fierce attack is not a good thing for him.

But both sides.

Still began to engage in close-quarters combat.

This scene is undoubtedly quite shocking! Because of the Scorched Earth policy on Zhai Shiqing's side a while ago, the cavalry of both sides faced almost no obstacles.

One word.

Fight!

If there were aerial photography at this time, it would surely freeze this shocking scene forever. On this side are the heavy cavalry from Longyan! The plate armor, helmets, and long spears developed by Liu Zheng were equipped on them as if they cost nothing.

And on this side are the Sipahi Cavalry from the Ottoman Empire, once the most powerful, who had beaten European knights until they couldn't get up. These Sipahi Cavalry were also armed from man to horse, from head to toe.

Anyone who has played medieval European games would certainly not miss the exhilaration brought by this heavy cavalry charge.

Luxurious armor is the standard equipment for the Sipahi Cavalry; noble life did not erode the ferocity in their blood, but instead bestowed upon them dignity, mettle, and ancient, strict etiquette.

The cavalry of both sides charged at the same time.

The dust that was kicked up made one's heart palpitate.

The shouts of battle.

The sound of military bugles.

The sound of horse hooves.

These became the main melody on the battlefield at this time.

The Sipahi Cavalry are skilled in three types of formations. One is the Loose Formation, which is used during long-distance charges to avoid concentrated strikes.

One is the Dense Formation; when they charge to a certain stage, they will form a dense square to significantly increase their ability to withstand impact.

The last one is the Horizontal Line Formation, where the Sipahi Cavalry line up in two rows, which is conducive to launching a frontal strike.

In confrontations with the Sipahi Cavalry, one would generally set up obstacles like caltrops or horse-frightening devices.

However.

Today, there are none.

Scorched Earth.

This is no joke.

Because Zhai Shiqing understands what she is doing at this moment.

She was gambling.

She was gambling that the era of heavy cavalry had already passed. The emergence of lighter Plate Armor should replace these cumbersome heavy cavalrymen and gallop across the battlefield instead.

The great victory of the Winged Hussars gave her confidence.

These Winged Hussars were not simply lightly armed Scattered Soldiers; they brilliantly blended the cavalry elements of Western Europe and the East, while simultaneously carrying forward the advantages of local tradition and contemporary innovation.

They were both heavy cavalry and light cavalry; their armor was sturdy, yet their mobility could also be guaranteed.

Mobility.

That's right.

Compared to the trampling and charging power that were the advantages of the Sipahi Cavalry, Zhai Shiqing preferred charging speed and mobility.

And now.

The Liangzhou Cavalry, in this regard, was no worse than the Winged Hussars.

This time.

After Zhai Shiqing had done sufficient research on the Winged Hussars, she decided to add a new troop type to the Liangzhou Cavalry.

This troop type was called Artillery Cavalry.

They were also cavalry, but unlike the long-pole weapons of the regular Liangzhou Cavalry, their weapons were shorter and lighter; at the same time, they would always carry a bag specifically for holding Cannon.

And then, they would conduct organized throwing.

No one had expected it.

This sudden whim.

Let the Sipahi Cavalry fall completely into the abyss.

The cavalry of both sides finally began their first exchange of fire at this moment. The Sipahi Cavalry, fully armed from head to toe, were the first to plunge their long spears into the chest of a Liangzhou Army soldier.

This decisive battle of the century began right then and there.