The Crescent of the Sultan

If the world were one country, its capital would be Istanbul.

——Napoleon Bonaparte

Later tourism websites will always quote Napoleon's words when introducing Istanbul.

But does anyone really know how the 18-year-old Napoleon felt when he stepped into Istanbul for the first time at the invitation of the Sultan?

For Napoleon, he had only been to two places so far - Corsica and Paris. The gap between them was like going from the countryside to the city.

But when he stepped into Istanbul, or Constantiniya as the Turks call it, he discovered that the scenery in Paris was far inferior to the sunset over the Golden Horn.

Unlike Paris, which looks glamorous on the outside, it actually has sewage flowing across it. Istanbul has a complete drainage system and the streets are clean and tidy. In this regard, Paris is far inferior.

As for cultural heritage, great historical cultures such as ancient Greek civilization, Roman civilization, Byzantine civilization, and Ottoman Turkish civilization have all flowed through this city. Therefore, it can be said that the urban construction of Istanbul is a combination of human civilization and is unique. , cannot be copied and cannot be described in words.

The most typical representative is architectural art. Opposite Hagia Sophia is the Ahmed Mosque built by the Ottomans, also known as the Blue Mosque. This is the pinnacle representative of Islamic architecture inherited from the Byzantine construction style.

Later mosque construction throughout Istanbul and Türkiye also drew on and continued the Blue Mosque style. When Napoleon saw Orthodox and Islamic-style buildings appearing on the same screen for the first time, unlike the words he saw in the book, the shocking beauty simply could not be described in words.

Looking at the somewhat absent-minded little man beside him, Selim felt happy in his heart. He walked up to Napoleon and patted him on the shoulder: "Dear Napoleon, welcome to the Ottoman Empire."

"Sorry, Your Majesty, I'm rude." The little man apologized slightly, "I wonder what you want to see me for today?"

"It's like this. The observation report of the Guards will be handed in today. I would like to entrust you to help me evaluate the report and select some available talents for the empire."

Selim smiled and said, how could His Majesty the Sultan not know the level of the Guards? It is such a nonsense that has no content, no writing style, and is just nonsense. It is simply wishful thinking for you to expect Mr. Sultan to read it alone.

So, free labor does not have to be wasted. Besides, Selim also wanted to see how good the young talents he valued were in Napoleon's eyes. As for the other Guards officers? Well, shouldn't you have recognized your fate as a companion a long time ago?

Selim and Napoleon walked into the marking room, while the candidates outside were thinking about whether they could be selected by the Sultan and skyrocket.

"It is obvious that His Majesty lacks basic logistical considerations. The cost of one exercise is as much as the income of my bakery for several years."

"His Majesty showed extraordinary command levels during the exercise. He first drove away the tiger and devoured the wolf, then delayed the enemy with a small number of troops, and finally stood firm and won the final victory. In this exercise, regardless of the timing, Whether it is tactical deployment or strategic arrangements, His Majesty is top-notch."

"In my opinion, the person who should be most ashamed of this battle is Hassan Pasha. Although he successfully defeated His Majesty's outpost, he failed to go further. He clearly had a heavy army, but he did not dare to fight with the small man, resulting in In the end, a Frenchman almost won the victory, but fortunately His Majesty was wise and brave and defended the dignity of the Ottoman Empire."

Selim looked at the first answer sheet, which was as big as two heads. He didn't know what to say. If this group of people had not established a monopoly in Constantiniya, Selim doubted that they would have lost all their money.

As for the other two, either these two people didn't understand anything, or they were high-level black men. Considering the level of the Guards, the former was more likely. However, these two people were still praising the Sultan, so Selim decided to give him a favor, since he didn't expect them to fight any big wars anyway.

As for the first one, taunting the Sultan, boy, you have a tough head, Selim took out his monogram and directly rewarded the opponent with a failure.

The entire monogram consists of five parts, namely Sere: indicating the name of the Sultan, and honorary titles. For example, Selim is the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, the great Caliph, the reflection of Allah in the world, the Sword of Allah, etc. It sounds awesome, but in fact every generation of Sultans has these titles.

Beyze (egg): On the left side of the monogram are two rings, representing the two oceans ruled by the empire, the large ring representing the Mediterranean Sea, and the small ring representing the Black Sea.

Tug (Flagpole): The three vertical stripes in the middle of the monogram symbolize the independence of the empire.

Zulfe (Wind): These three "S"-shaped curves interlaced with the three bars represent the wind blowing from east to west, symbolizing the expansion route of the Ottoman Empire.

Hancer (sword): The tail on the right side of the monogram looks like a long sword, symbolizing the power and prestige of the Sultan.

Although he doesn’t have many names, Selim can’t bear the variety of designs in his work. Through the selection of monogram colors and texture design, Selim is confident that his monogram is not inferior to that of Suleiman the Magnificent. Rounding it up is Selim. Mu himself is not inferior to Suleiman the Magnificent.

While the Sultan was having sex here, Napoleon on the other side was surprised by the advanced military thinking of the Ottoman Empire officers. Didn't everyone say that the Ottoman Empire's Guards were all a bunch of trash?

Napoleon was greatly puzzled, especially because the two paintings signed by Muhammad Ali and Alandar Mustafa were completely in the tone of French officers, focusing on the use of cavalry and artillery.

For example, Muhammad Ali briefly discussed the decisions the cavalry faced with the other three arms when engaging the enemy.

"The first is an attack on the enemy's cavalry, usually from all directions, surrounding the enemy with a dense line of each unit or facing the enemy with a dense line of the entire army. General Napoleon used this tactic when encircling Hassan Pasha, making Hassan Pasha's entire army was wiped out.

As for the attack on enemy infantry and artillery, if the enemy is on the march, they will be deployed according to the strength of the enemy's troops, either overlapping or attacking from several directions. When General Napoleon ambushed Haysan Pasha's army for the first time, he chose to attack from several directions. With the support of his own artillery, he quickly broke through the junction of Haysan Pasha's army, making it impossible for the head and tail to see each other, setting the stage for follow-up. The conditions for division and annihilation were created.

If the enemy has already entered the position and deployed, for infantry, the attack deployment is usually above the third line (column), and for the attack on artillery, it is usually above the second line. At this time, the commander must spread out the various units of the headquarters so that each unit can be deployed in an overlapping manner according to width and depth. Each unit on the first line must overlap and spread out their queues to increase the distance between cavalry and the distance between columns. It was through this method that General Napoleon achieved the dispersion of his troops and on the other hand avoided damage from the artillery fire of His Majesty the Sultan.

When the subsequent cavalry attacked from all directions, General Napoleon deployed in a broad front. After our own infantry launched a second charge, they charged at a smaller interval and distance, further tearing His Majesty's defense line apart.

At the same time, General Napoleon arranged a second line of troops to continue the attack directly behind the front troops, and continued to charge in depth in order to mop up the remaining enemies.

The reserve team that had been retreating actually became the stormtroopers who took the lead in attacking. They launched a charge from behind the enemy's army, immediately destroying His Majesty's artillery formation and providing cover for subsequent attacks by various units. "

To be honest, this Muhammad Ali's conclusion was definitely the most brilliant that Napoleon had ever seen. He not only pointed out the tactics he used, but also analyzed every part of the exercise. Napoleon couldn't help but sigh: "This Sultan, you really have found a treasure.”

The whole review took about a morning. People such as Ali, Mustafa and others were naturally selected with honor to form the first division of the Guards. At the same time, some officers were drawn from the New Army, and Napoleon was responsible for forming a model Guards unit.

As for the others, after hearing the news that the Sultan had finished marking the papers, they saluted the Sultan and hurried home to cook.

Our Sudanese comrade took Napoleon back to Topkapi Palace. The two of them sat in the imperial kitchen, enjoying the delicacies prepared by the imperial chef. "Has Bonaparte ever tasted the imperial cuisine?" said Selim. While gnawing on the barbecue in his hand, he asked Napoleon, who was also eating in front of him and his hands were full of oil.

In fact, he knew the answer. After all, Napoleon was sent to military school when he was 10 years old, and later transferred to serve in the Rafael Artillery Regiment. How could he have such an opportunity? But, why not try it if you can make fun of celebrities? Selim's previous life He is also a happy person.

"No, Your Majesty the Sultan, if it weren't for subsidizing my family, I wouldn't even choose to come to the Ottoman Empire. After all, you are heretics."

Napoleon picked up a piece of barbecue and continued: "But when I arrived here, I discovered that the Ottoman Empire was actually different from what the nobles described. You have your own culture, clothing, and food. You are tolerant and allow Orthodox Christians , Jews, and Arabs lived within the empire. In comparison, Louis XIV, who could not even accommodate a Nantes pardon, simply did not deserve to be called the Sun King. The radiance of the Ottoman Sultan's crescent moon shone softly on everyone Louis XIV has never shined an equal light on the Kingdom of France among the residents of the empire, and my hometown, Corsica, has suffered from the contempt and bullying of the French."

At this time, under the stimulation of alcohol, Napoleon seemed to have begun to relax a little. He chatted with Selim and criticized current affairs. He had a feeling of "a scholarly spirit, scolding Fang Qiu, pointing out the country, inspiring writing, and squandering the filth of thousands of households". .

Looking at the drunken Napoleon in front of him, Selim raised his glass and said: "Dear Napoleon Bonaparte, welcome to the Ottoman Empire!"

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