prosperous age

Chapter 1084 1175 Handle

"Hahaha, I heard that the Ming Dynasty has already made preparations, but so what? Tengchong, such an important city, has also been conquered by our army. Is there any place in the Ming Dynasty that we cannot conquer?"

At this time, the Burmese army had occupied Tengchong, an important town in western Yunnan that was abandoned by the Ming army. Standing in the former Tengchong garrison, Mang Yinglong laughed triumphantly.

"The king is wise."

"Your Majesty's civil and military achievements have surpassed those of the previous dynasty. This time, you will surely scare the Ming court into submission."

"After we take over Yunnan, we can continue to look eastwards. I heard that Jiangnan is a good place, hehe."

The ministers and chieftains following behind Mang Yinglong all showed their courtesy to the Burmese king Mang Yinglong. If they showed themselves more at this time, perhaps they would be able to get more when the cake was distributed later.

If we say that the Burmese army captured Nanyaguan, Tiebiguan and other passes without bloodshed thanks to the prior contact with the chieftains, and the sneak attack on Lucheng was done with the use of strategies and deception, then the capture of Tengchong was a real fight with the Ming army garrisons. Of course, everyone was satisfied with the final result, as the Ming army chose to retreat.

This was a very morale-boosting battle. In the past, the deterrent power of the Ming army had always been a heavy burden on the minds of all Burmese generals.

Yes, even though they all said they did not submit to the Ming Dynasty, they were actually somewhat afraid of the Ming army in their hearts.

Why did the Three Xuan and Six Wei in the Southwest decisively surrender to the Ming Dynasty? It was because the Ming army led by Mu Ying was too powerful. The elephant soldiers they were proud of were almost powerless against the Ming army's firearms.

But this time it was different. At that time, all the forces in Myanmar were fighting on their own. Because of mutual suspicion, they naturally could not unite as one and work together to fight against the Ming Dynasty.

Therefore, facing the situation of a large army approaching, he decisively chose to surrender to the Ming Dynasty and was rewarded with the title of envoy.

But now it is different. Although they still have their own ideas, they all submit to the Burmese King Mang Yinglong, and can finally join forces to fight against the behemoth Ming Dynasty.

Thinking of the Ming merchants who had boasted about the wealth of the Ming Dynasty, especially the beautiful scenery and beauties in the Jiangnan region, all the ministers of the Toungoo Dynasty had long coveted it.

The victory in the Tengchong battle allowed them to put aside their fear of the Ming army.

The Ming army was no match for them. Facing the powerful Burmese army, they could only retreat.

Although I heard that the Ming Dynasty also has an army of millions, so what? The Ming Dynasty also has an extremely vast land that needs to be garrisoned by troops. This means that it is impossible for the Ming Dynasty to gather troops from all over the country to fight against them.

Wars were fought one after another. Tens of thousands of Ming troops were wiped out in one war. After a few more such wars, the Ming Dynasty would not have many troops left.

Just thinking about ruling a country like Ming with such a vast territory is a wonderful thing.

At this time, some chieftains had already started thinking about changing land.

Yes, they were willing to trade the barren land they controlled with the King of Burma and ask the benevolent King of Burma to reward them with a new piece of land in the Ming Dynasty.

That was the Ming Dynasty, a glamorous world.

"Come on, prepare a banquet. Don't go home until you are drunk tonight. Give some wine and meat to the soldiers. Let them have a good rest for two days. Then we will march to Lujiang City."

Mang Yinglong was very proud at this time, and gave orders while laughing.

At this time, the defeated Ming army in Tengchong was met by Ming reinforcements led by Li Rusong outside Lujiang City and quickly retreated into Lujiang City.

During their retreat, they did not encounter any pursuit from the Burmese army, but were intercepted twice when they were withdrawing from Tengchong.

But the hope of survival made the Ming army fight their way out. They did not want to be captured and enslaved by the barbaric Burmese, as that would be a life worse than death.

There were a team of seven or eight thousand people, of which less than two thousand were soldiers belonging to the garrison, and the rest were families of the Tengchong guards.

However, this is not all. Tens of thousands of Tengchong residents retreated into the surrounding mountains to avoid the war.

The civilians could not retreat faster than the Burmese soldiers' pursuit.

Faced with the Ming army retreating from Tengchong, the two Burmese troops stationed outside Lujiang City did not leave the camp to intercept them.

In yesterday's battle, the two Burmese armies suffered heavy losses under the attack of Ming army reinforcements, with more than a thousand people killed.

Of course, this was the result of Li Rusong bringing his own personal soldiers and supervising the Guangxi soldiers who had been trained for a long time.

Having learned from previous experience, the Burmese generals outside Lujiang City were not fools and would certainly not try to hit a rock with an egg and seek their own death.

After resting for two days in Tengchong, the main force of the Burmese Northern Army set out again for Lujiang City.

As long as they break through here, the Burmese army can cross the river and directly attack Baoshan City.

The news that the Southern Army encountered stubborn resistance from the Ming Army in Shidian had already reached Mang Yinglong's ears. However, the Southern Army was originally only a detachment sent out to prevent the main army from being attacked from both sides by the Ming Army, so he did not take the news of the failure of the siege seriously.

As long as the main force led by him could capture Baoshan City, it would not matter much even if Shidian still could not be conquered. He could just continue westward from Baoshan City, pass Shunning and Chuxiong, and directly attack Kunming, forcing the Ming court to surrender.

"Your Majesty, I have an idea."

Just as the army was preparing to set off for Lujiang, Hanba, a general under Mang Yinglong, suddenly spoke.

"explain."

Hearing his subordinates' ideas, Mang Yinglong was still very happy to listen.

As a king, you must have the bearing of a king, be good at seeking advice humbly and listen to the opinions of your subordinates.

“Your Majesty, I know Xian Gui, the pacification envoy of Lujiang City, and perhaps I can convince him to surrender to Burma.

I heard that after Menglian and Kanda failed in their attack on Lujiang, they chose to garrison outside the city, which shows that Lujiang’s city defense still has some strength.

If we can persuade Dong Xiangui to surrender, the army can capture Lujiang City without bloodshed, and we should also be able to get boats to cross the river."

Hanba spoke his thoughts out loud with a smug look on his face.

"Are you sure you can convince Xiangui to surrender?"

Mang Yinglong did not rush to express his opinion, but followed up the conversation and asked.

"My lord, I have a deal with Xian Gui. I have a lot of leverage over him, including the weapons in the hands of my soldiers. They were all sold to me secretly by Xian Gui.

You said, if Xian Gui is unwilling to surrender, I will threaten to send the evidence to Kunming, what will be his fate? "

At this time, Hanba explained with a sinister look on his face that he had evidence that he was supporting the enemy.

Yes, if it were in the past, it would be possible to suppress the matter by secretly selling some weapons to foreign tribes as long as it was done properly.

But the situation is different now. The two countries are at war. Xian Gui's actions are tantamount to aiding the enemy, an absolute capital crime.

There is no doubt that the rampant corruption throughout the Ming Dynasty during this period had indeed shaken the foundation of the Ming Dynasty's rule, but those in power had not fully realized it.

Most of the Ming troops in the border areas bordering Mongolia in the north, Liaodong, and the southwest secretly participated in the smuggling activities carried out by local merchants. What's worse, people like Xian Gui, the Lujiang pacification envoy, directly resold military supplies to make money.

On the border, the consequences of local officials' corruption and dereliction of duty finally began to be exposed during this Burmese invasion.

Many people have been involved in many shady transactions and have had their handles caught by others, making them afraid to act and at a loss as to what to do.

However, Mang Yinglong was not concerned about the plight of these people. He only considered how to make progress at the lowest cost, conquer the cities of the Ming army along the way, and reach Kunming as soon as possible. Only after Kunming was captured would he negotiate with the envoys of the Ming Dynasty and demand that Yunnan be ceded to Myanmar.

"Do you have any leverage over Xian Gui?"

Mang Yinglong confirmed it again.

"Yes, Xian Gui resold me weapons twice, including the swords, spears and armor of the Ming army. That's how I got my armored army, hehe."

Thinking of his proud moment, Hanba couldn't help but laugh out loud.

However, when I bought these weapons, the price he offered was really not low.

Once he captures Lujiang City this time, he will get the gold and silver back from Xian Gui.

The silver he had obtained was not so easy to get.

"Someone under your command should have contacted him. Write a letter to him and send someone to deliver it."

Mang Yinglong would naturally be willing to do so if he could easily capture Lujiang City without sacrificing a single soldier.

You know, the Ming army still has 100,000 troops in Yunnan, so there is still a battle to be fought.

Moreover, even if the Ming Dynasty agreed to cede land, tens of thousands of troops would have to be stationed here in order to achieve long-term stability.

Well, if we can save a few more soldiers, that’s good enough.

Thinking this way, Mang Yinglong naturally agreed to Hanba's proposal and threatened Xian Gui to surrender.

"Who among you has any leverage over the generals in Shidian and Baoshan? Tell us. For some things, it is better to prepare early.

By the way, even if it is Ming officials from other places, please speak up. It would be best if you have leverage over officials in Kunming."

Mang Yinglong did not think that Xian Gui from Lujiang was the only Ming official who had participated in this kind of smuggling transaction. Many officials in western Yunnan should have participated in it. It just depended on whether he had any evidence against them.

If there is, it would be easy to capture the city, whether it is Shidian or Baoshan.

However, Mang Yinglong is thinking more now. That is, if he can get some leverage over officials in important cities in Yunnan, that would be the best, so he can directly instigate these people to rebel.

Perhaps, great things can be accomplished in Yunnan without resorting to force.

In Tengchong, Mang Yinglong was thinking about good things, while at the Lujiang City dock, Li Rusong and Xian Gui stood aside and watched the soldiers board the ship to cross the river.

The military order Li Rusong received was to pick up the Tengchong guards and bring them back to Baoshan City for rest.

After all, even the current Lujiang City is just a chess piece that Li Chengliang plans to use to delay the Burmese army's attack, but it is not the place for a decisive battle, so naturally he will not invest too much manpower here.

Li Rusong did not let the defeated soldiers of Tengchong Wei rest in Lujiang City, but let them pass through the city directly to the dock, where they were picked up by their own boats and taken across the river.

A temporary camp had been built on the east side of Lujiang River for them to rest before retreating to Baoshan City.

At this time, most people had already retreated across the river, and the remaining people on the dock could be transported in two more trips. Li Rusong then clasped his fists and said to Xian Gui, the Lujiang pacification envoy, with a smile: "Master Xian, I will cross the river first. The affairs of Lujiang City will still be handled by Master Xian."

"It should be."

Li Chengliang knew how to stimulate his generals to fight, so the task assigned to Xian Gui at the beginning was not to block the attack of the Burmese army, but to let him hold out here for a month.

In Jiangdong, the Ming army will have a temporary camp and continuously replenish the city with various supplies for defending the city, and will also have military support.

With such a guarantee, Xiangui was naturally very happy.

With support, he was confident that he could stop the Burmese army for a month.

With the Lu River at his back, he had no worries. If the enemy could not stop him, he could just abandon the city and take a boat across the river.

You can ignore the others and there will be no problem as long as you leave yourself a wooden boat to cross the river.

It was precisely because of this plan that Xian Gui was very obedient and prepared to hold Lujiang City for a month with his soldiers.

"Major General, please go back and report to the commander-in-chief. I will defend Lujiang according to the military order. As long as the people are in the city, Lujiang City will be in the hands of our army within a month."

Xian Gui was making a promise in front of Li Rusong at this time, and all he mentioned was the one-month period that Li Chengliang had mentioned at the beginning.

In fact, Li Rusong certainly knew what he meant, but he didn't care.

He learned a lot from these military leaders.

In this case, if there is a way to keep the person alive, it is necessary to force him to death, otherwise there may be unexpected troubles.

"Don't worry, Master Xian, I will definitely convey this message.

As long as Master Xian can hold out in Lujiang City for a month, the defense of Baoshan City should be completed by then, and Master Xian can lead his troops to retreat to Baoshan City."

Li Chengliang would certainly not tell anyone else about his plan. Even Mu Changzuo and others were completely unaware of it. Only the children in the family knew about it because they were the ones chosen by Li Chengliang to lead the troops.

This battle is not only a national war between the Ming Dynasty and Myanmar, but also a battle for the survival of his Li family.

If I lose, my children will suffer a fate worse than death. It is better to sacrifice myself for the country and leave a good reputation.

If he wins, naturally, he will get a title for his hometown as promised by Lord Wei.

  Is the title so easy to earn?

Li Chengliang was not stupid. Even Ma Fang and Yu Dayou, who had defected to him a long time ago, had not been given titles although they now held high official positions.

I'm afraid they will only have a chance when they die.

However, Li Chengliang still had a little bit of hope in his mind, what if it worked?

Don't forget that he expanded 800 miles of territory in Liaodong for the imperial court. If Yunnan wins this time, no matter whether the chieftain system is still implemented or not, as long as the Burmese Provincial Administration is established, the credit for expanding the territory will be there.

With such achievements, let alone, compared with Ma Fang, Yu Dayou and others, Old Li has a greater chance of winning.

Yes, according to the military merit system of the Ming Dynasty, Li Chengliang's contributions were indeed greater than those of Ma Fang and Yu Dayou.

Although the military merit system currently implemented in the Ming Dynasty was mainly the "military merit headcount system", that is, rewards and merits were given based on the number of heads, and there would be no military merit if there were no heads.

In fact, the Ming Dynasty initially emphasized not the first merit, but the "war merit system" that determined the merits of soldiers based on their performance on the battlefield.

The "Da Ming Hui Dian" divided the Ming Dynasty's military achievements into three types: extraordinary achievements, first achievements, and second achievements.

Anyone who has made outstanding achievements or first meritorious service shall be reported to the leader in charge. Anyone who makes false reports shall be punished with a serious crime. When capturing spies during the march or retreat, he shall be rewarded, and the first meritorious service and the rest shall be rewarded as second-rate meritorious service.

Miraculous merit is particularly difficult. It requires the performer to make a performance that determines the outcome of the battle, such as killing generals and capturing flags, besieging a city for the first time, breaking through enemy formations, etc.

Putting aside the performance on the battlefield, the greatest contribution was undoubtedly the expansion of territory. It was an achievement beyond the founding of the country. It was an expansion of the country's territory and an increase of resources, and it had important strategic and political significance.