Chapter 24 Preparation
It's a mule or a horse, pull it out and run around. Constantine followed Peter's orders to train his troops, but he had to go to the battlefield to know how the training would be.
The target this time was Ackerman. Peter checked some siege records and found that facing the fortress, he either besieged it or attacked it at great cost. What Peter lacks most is time and personnel, because he cannot take away all these troops and must leave some to guard them.
However, the current artillery and musketry gave Peter some comfort. You still have to imitate the Ottoman method of planting explosives to break the city, and you have to get all the artillery.
Granular gunpowder has been produced in large quantities. Putting them in a barrel and lighting the fuse can produce earth-shattering effects.
The oil taken from the Ploiesti estates was also put to use, and light oil was obtained through distillation. Mix a certain proportion of sulfur, asphalt, rosin, resin and other flammable substances, and dissolve it through heating into a liquid with excellent combustion properties, which can also float and burn on the water.
This is a sharp weapon used by the city defense troops, which can appropriately make up for the shortage of manpower. Peter also asked the Chamber of Commerce to be responsible for logistical transportation. Artillery, grain, etc. were transported by sea and land to Chilia, and all the troops would go there.
What Peter has to do now is collect intelligence. Through some businessmen and intelligence personnel who went to Ackerman, we learned that the garrison of Ackerman Fortress at this time had about 1,500 people, which was the most elite force of the Grand Duke of Moldova. But no matter how elite the troops are, they will be vulnerable as long as their psychological defenses are destroyed.
Faced with the lack of cannon, Peter chose to use a trebuchet instead. At this time, we have not yet left the era of cold weapons, so trebuchets can naturally be used.
Moreover, the trebuchet he held was no ordinary trebuchet. It is something more powerful than an ordinary trebuchet, which seems to be called a return gun in the East.
The return cannon has been improved, improved, and innovated on the basis of the ancient trebuchet, making it more advanced and more powerful. Use the principle of leverage to increase power.
The cannonballs used by trebuchets are specially treated. Some can burn, some have explosives inside, and some are solid stone bullets.
Now that we have soldiers and siege equipment, what about the manpower?
Peter said not to worry, it could be solved with money. Some use sea transportation, while others rely on hiring manpower. The price was very fair and many people were recruited quickly.
Everything is in progress, weapons, soldiers, and transportation are all in progress. Peter also paid three months' wages in advance to avoid a mutiny.
The army of Grand Duke Mircea also gathered near Fokshani, and after passing here, entered Moldova.
The casus belli chosen by Mircea was Moldova's attempts to interfere in the ecumenical elections a few years earlier, and the current measures to impose a wine embargo on Wallachia. Undeclared war will have to wait until after the 16th century. At this time, Europe still wants to show off.
Of course, there is one last uncertain factor facing the father and son, and that is Poland.
Poland and Moldova reached an agreement more than a decade ago, with Poland providing protection and Moldova providing some gold coins. Although it is a verbal promise, what if Poland ends up?
Therefore, Mircea sent a man to Krakow and took money to bribe some local nobles so that King Vasdiváv II would not pay attention to Moldova.
Of course, Mircea's deployment of troops in this way cannot be concealed from others. The Grand Duke Roman of Moldova is near Vinnitsa at this time, and there are only some militiamen in the country, which cannot be resisted in any case.
As the owner of the border castle Oneshti, Bogdan was at a loss. But he soon realized that the other party wanted the crown of the Grand Duke of Moldova.
He gathered those around him and offered to serve as a guide to Wallachia.
"Sir, is this okay? What if they are just trying to scare you?"
"How can we gather so many troops to scare us? The cost must be worth it."
That's right, who would be so bored as to summon tens of thousands of troops to scare neighboring countries. The cost is also too high.
Moreover, the Wallachian army gathered in Fokshani, which was obviously aimed at Moldova. This cannot be overcome by being frightened.
"My lord, what do you think we should do?" another person asked.
Bogdan thought for a while, facing the army, fighting to the death was not an option. This is like hitting an egg against a stone.
Moreover, Oneshti is located on the border and prospers through trade with Wallachia. If it offends the other party and prevents merchants from taking this path, then its own losses will be very great.
This is partly because he is Roman's political enemy. At the previous Boyar Conference, he opposed Roman becoming the Grand Duke of Moldova, and the results can be imagined. He was suppressed by Roman and could only wander around in his own little land. Now that the Wallachian army is coming, it might be an opportunity.
"Okay, I've decided." Bogdan interrupted some people's conversation. "Rather than go on like this, it's better to take a chance."
Bogdan's decision shocked many people. This is a crime of surrender. If Wallachia couldn't protect him, their whole family would be doomed.
Bogdan was also afraid, but he had no way out. He was betting that Wallachia would take the crown of Moldova. It is also for the future of myself and my family.
Poland, which had given Moldova a guarantee, was facing confrontation between the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Teutonic Knights. One was for inheritance, the other for the rule of Samogitia.
Because it was located between the territories of the Teutonic Knights and the Livonian Knights, Samogitia became a target for the two knights to expand their territory. Once, the Samogitians offered allegiance to the Knights and obtained a peace treaty, and Samogitia briefly became the territory of the Teutonic Knights. But in the subsequent war, Samogitia once again belonged to Lithuania. For more than a hundred years, Samogitia became the focus of wars between Lithuania and the Teutonic Knights. As the last pagan land in Europe, Samogitia therefore became the final conquest mission of the Teutonic Knights.
Between 1345 and 1382, the Knights from Prussia launched 70 attacks on Samogitia, and the Livonian Knights in the east also attacked Samogitia more than 30 times. Year after year of war had devastated Samogitia. And as Vasdivav II came from the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, he naturally had to seize this place, because the core of Lithuania's rule was here.