Chapter 67: Dramali's Pursuit

"Rest assured, General, I will clean this place up thoroughly. Not a single hair will be left for the Turks," Mura pledged, thumping his chest.

"Though that's what you say, don't forget to leave a little gift for the Turks," Napoleon spoke up.

"A little gift? I understand, sir," Mura initially paused, then quickly realized what Napoleon was hinting at. He then turned and left to prepare the "gift" for the Turks.

Later, taking advantage of the darkness, Napoleon issued the retreat command. He ordered Marmont and Mura to cover each other's retreat, using the night as cover, they broke contact with the Turks and moved to a predetermined position, waiting for reinforcements from their homeland.

"Woo woo woo!"

The next morning, the attack horns sounded on the battlefield. The Turks were initiating an attack.

"Attack! Take down Napoleon's position!" With Dramali's order, countless Turkish soldiers bravely advanced, their muskets in hand as they launched a desperate assault on the French positions.

But when the Turkish soldiers actually charged up to the French defenses, they were stunned to find the place deserted. The battlefield was eerily quiet, marked only by craters that testified to the fierce fighting that had occurred.

"General, no trace of the French has been found on the position. They seemed to have vanished into thin air," a Turkish soldier immediately ran up to Dramali to report.

"What? The French disappeared? Impossible! Absolutely impossible. How could the French just vanish overnight? Were we fighting ghosts last night?" Dramali said angrily.

"Send soldiers to search. I want to see them alive. I don't believe that so many French soldiers could disappear instantly. They must be hiding somewhere," Dramali pointed at the battlefield and ordered his men.

"Yes!" Upon hearing the command, the soldiers shouted and began searching with widened eyes.

"What's this?" During the search, a Turkish soldier found a package left by the French. The package was slightly open, and two gold coins slipped out.

"This is gold!" The sight of the coins made the Turkish soldier's breathing quicken. Given the low wages of a soldier, the package before him represented immense wealth. What's more, it was a full bag—if all were gold, he would be rich.

With greed filling his eyes, he glanced around to make sure no one noticed him before grabbing the package and holding it tightly to his chest.

Clutching the gold, the Turkish soldier was overjoyed. With this wealth, he could avoid risking his life in battle. Lost in his joyful thoughts, he failed to notice the rash developing on his hands, which spread across his body until he collapsed, weakened, to the ground.

He wasn't alone; many other Turks found the "valuable items" left by the French. Each of them fell to the ground after touching these objects.

These were not trophies of war but death traps set by the French. The items were smeared with a deadly poison that infected anyone who merely touched them, leading to their demise.

This was Napoleon's "gift" to the Turks.

"Do not touch the French's belongings, those damned scoundrels have poisoned them! Be careful, everyone!" The Turkish commanders soon noticed the anomaly and issued warnings to their soldiers.

"Damn the French, using such despicable methods."

"Curse it! Allah will punish them."

Upon hearing this, the Turkish soldiers expressed their anger, cursing the shamelessness of the French army.

...

On a nearby hillside, Dramali too was in disbelief upon receiving the report.

His shock was not just because the French had poisoned the supplies, but because he couldn't imagine that the French had actually retreated. The French had destroyed their remaining supplies, indicating Napoleon's resolute decision. Dramali had expected a tough battle to defeat the French army, but he was taken aback by their proactive retreat, leaving him utterly surprised.

At the same time, the news of the French army's retreat excited Dramali. After several days of combat, they had witnessed just how formidable the French land forces were. If the French had continued to hold their ground, even if the Turks managed to break through, it would have certainly resulted in significant casualties.

Now that the French were retreating voluntarily, it made things much easier for the Turks, and the casualties would be significantly less. However, when his aide-de-camp handed him the casualty report, the toll was stark: the Turkish army had lost 32,000 men in just a few days of fighting. Moreover, most of the losses were among front-line troops, essentially equivalent to losing two entire brigades of first-line forces.

Such a heavy loss of troops would have been bearable if it had led to a clear victory. But now, with the French army voluntarily abandoning their positions and retreating, if this were to get out, people wouldn't think the French had retreated under pressure from the Turkish assault. They would only see that the Turks had paid a high price and still failed to defeat the French. This would certainly invite ridicule from others.

"Gentlemen, the French have retreated. What do you think? Should we pursue them?" Dramali asked while mounted on his horse.

"Commander, I believe the French are fleeing in disarray. In the past few days of fighting, although our losses have been great, the French must have also suffered considerably. Moreover, they are short of supplies, which wouldn't allow them to last much longer. Now, the French army has become like a dog that has lost its home, so I think we should pursue them. Only by annihilating this French force or capturing Napoleon alive can we claim a perfect victory," one of his officers responded.

Hearing Dramali's query, Hershey immediately grasped Dramali's intent. He was not ready to end it here; he wanted to continue the pursuit.

"Good! You make a solid point. The French dared to invade our Turkey; we cannot let this stand. We must pursue them and let the world see the strength of Turkey. Perhaps this could also be an opportunity to reclaim Egypt."

Hershey's response received Dramali's approval.

He also believed that the French army's retreat was likely due to their inability to sustain themselves any longer. Knowing Napoleon, who is not one to give up easily, Dramali deduced that the desperate retreat indicated that the French forces were at their breaking point.

Dramali was not willing to forgo this opportunity to enhance his reputation. He decided to dispatch troops to pursue and capture Napoleon, hoping to erase his own disgrace. Thus, Dramali immediately ordered the deployment of 5,000 cavalrymen, divided into three groups to chase down Napoleon and ensure his capture.

At Dramali's command, numerous Turkish cavalrymen spurred their horses and advanced rapidly westward, searching for French stragglers along the way.

The Turkish cavalry continued their search until a fierce battle ensued inside a mosque in the west. Although the French soldiers were of higher quality, they were now out of ammunition and food, significantly weakening their combat effectiveness. In contrast, the Turkish cavalry, buoyed by their recent victory and well-equipped, overwhelmed the French forces. The French soldiers were decimated in the intense battle, leaving many dead and forcing the survivors to flee in disarray.

Upon receiving news of this victory, the senior Turkish military leaders were jubilant and more convinced than ever that the French were like a defeated dog, easily vanquished with one more attack.

Dramali immediately ordered all remaining troops to be deployed, planning to march on Egypt with the aim of reaching it as quickly as possible to completely eliminate the French forces there. This move was designed to leverage their momentum and secure a decisive victory that would solidify Turkish strength in the region.