prosperous age

"Drag the body back and leave as soon as possible. Don't clash with the other side."

Knowing that reinforcements had arrived, Yu Shoubei did not relax his vigilance and ordered the border outposts to strengthen their defenses.

Therefore, the border troops in Old Port are very cautious today.

Not only were all the guard posts on high alert, but even the soldiers on patrol had their muskets fully loaded with ammunition, so they could open fire decisively when they discovered someone crossing the border.

Unfortunately, three people escaped, and only two were hit.

By sheer coincidence, one of them hit the head, leaving a hole in the back of the skull.

The other has two gunshot wounds, one on each side of his back. Although he is still hesitant, it seems unlikely that he can be saved.

Current medical technology is basically ineffective in treating penetrating wounds in this location.

Soon, four spearmen went up, two of them dragging one, and quickly headed towards the outpost.

At the Ming army's outpost, a squad of soldiers rushed out the moment they heard the gunshot.

Two groups of musketeers were in front, followed by swordsmen, shieldmen, and spearmen.

This was the first time they fired after discovering the anomaly, and then retreated into the rear of the army formation.

This was already the most common formation used by the Ming army. Instead of using cold weapons like swords, shields, and spears in front, they directly used firearms on top.

This approach allowed the Ming army to gain the upper hand in several conflicts with the Aceh army.

As soon as the enemy showed their faces, a number of them were shot down by muskets.

Some Aceh soldiers would become timid, which would not only reduce the enemy's numbers but also damage their morale.

Only then could they use swords and shields to withstand the enemy's charge and stabilize their formation.

If the situation cannot be stabilized, it often means that the scale of the conflict may escalate.

However, at this time, other flag detachments that were reinforcing the outpost also arrived, allowing them to establish a larger and more stable formation in the rear.

Soon, the two Ming army groups met halfway.

"Li San, what's going on?"

"Sir, we encountered several people crossing the border. We killed two of them, and three escaped."

"What about people?"

"later."

After a brief exchange, the squad leader saw the body being dragged on the ground by four soldiers.

With blood flowing all the way, there was absolutely no way he could survive.

"Well, I figured both of them were beyond saving, so I didn't bother with anything else."

The squad leader, feeling a little embarrassed, said something.

What's the situation on the other side today?

"I asked the commander."

"As usual, we encountered two small squads of Aceh troops on the road, but we didn't notice anything unusual."

Xiaoqi answered hastily.

"Yesterday afternoon, the garrison headquarters issued an order for the entire army to be on high alert today."

The commander immediately said.

"I know, we were out on patrol today, and we were observing the other side very carefully the whole way."

Everything was exactly the same as usual, nothing happened.

"By the way, sir, is there anything happening in town today?"

Xiaoqi couldn't help but be curious and finally asked the question that had been lingering in her mind since yesterday.

"I don't know either. The commander didn't say, so I guess he doesn't know either."

The captain responded, then added, "Then let's go back. Other teams will be out on patrol later, so it won't concern us."

However, when you return to camp with me later, we need to report this to the platoon leader.

Dozens of Ming soldiers joined together and quickly marched towards the military camp.

On the way, the commander sent someone back to report.

Since nothing serious happened, there was no need to call out the other dozens of people at the outpost.

When they returned to the outpost, they saw that the sentries outside the camp were still on high alert, but once inside the camp, the soldiers had become lax.

Despite the small number of Ming troops in Old Port, their superior equipment gave them a clear advantage over the Aceh army during this period.

Inevitably, a sense of contempt for the Aceh army arose from top to bottom.

Of course, the soldiers below were unaware that the opposing nation of Aceh had already mobilized tens of thousands of troops.

If they had known, they certainly wouldn't have acted this way.

However, the squad leader still led the men to report the border patrol situation to the battalion commander, and the two corpses were also dragged in front of the battalion commander.

"They're all dead. What are you looking at? They must be spies sent from Aceh."

The captain didn't even look at him properly, but beckoned to a personal guard and ordered, "Immediately report to the garrison headquarters that our troops intercepted two Aceh spies at the border today, and they were killed in the pursuit."

"Yes."

The guard bowed and quickly left the outpost to report the news into the city.

Meanwhile, inside the garrison headquarters, a group of officers were holding a grand banquet to entertain the reinforcements from Burma.

The seat of honor was not for the Old Port garrison commander, but for the green-robed messenger, while a group of officers fawned over him.

Those who remained in the military camp, especially the generals trained by Yu Dayou, knew a great deal about their leader's past experiences.

Therefore, no matter what one thinks in one's heart, one always shows the utmost respect to civil officials on the surface.

After the banquet ended, the garrison commander of Old Port even sent two plates of Old Port specialties to the messenger, which made the messenger from the capital very happy.

After the event ended, the garrison commander and Li Chonggui went directly to another room, where there was a huge sand table.

"This is the map of the entire island that we have been sending people to complete over the past few years. Lord Li, this is the old port city, and this is Kutaraja."

Commander Yu pointed to the northwesternmost part of Sumatra Island, where there was a city represented by a wooden block.

"Oh, this is their capital?"

Li Chonggui frowned, staring at the sand table.

Old Port is located at the southwestern tip of Sumatra, while the Kingdom of Aceh is located at the northwestern tip of the island, much like two extremes.

"If the strategy is to capture the king, I can lead my navy directly by sea to Kutaraja and destroy Aceh, capturing its king."

How many troops does Aceh have on the border, and can Palembang hold out?

Given this terrain, Li Chonggui's first reaction was to head straight for the stronghold of Aceh and capture their king.

However, there is a risk involved: whether the Old Port can withstand the Aceh army's counterattack.

"Our intelligence indicates that Aceh has amassed 30,000 to 40,000 troops near the border, and it is said that several thousand more are gathering here, suggesting that almost the entire nation is going to war."

Perhaps only their capital still has some troops to guard it.

Commander Yu immediately said, "But what if the Sultan of Aceh cannot escape from the city and joins up with his army?"

Li Chonggui fell silent; this was exactly what he was worried about.

Even if he conquers the capital, the war will not end until he captures the King of Aceh.

The key is that tens of thousands of troops are besieging Old Port. The safety of this place is very important; it is the face of the Ming Dynasty in Southeast Asia.

If one is caught in the crossfire of war and suffers losses, one's achievements will likely be greatly diminished.

"How many men are there inside and outside the city, and how many able-bodied men can be recruited?"

Seeing this terrain, Li Chonggui could not give up his plan to capture the kingpin, as the terrain was perfect for a surprise sea attack on the capital of Aceh.

"Sir, an urgent report from the border outpost: Aceh spies attempted to escape today but were intercepted by border troops, and two were killed." A guard entered from outside the door to report what had happened outside the city.

“They know we’re here.”

Commander Yu made a judgment immediately.

Completely blocking the news is too difficult.

Even if he clears out the area around the port, enemy spies can still spot the fleet's arrival as long as they send someone to lie in wait in the surrounding mountains and forests.

"It's better to know we're here."

Li Chonggui remained expressionless, staring at the sand table as he said, "They thought we were just here, and they certainly wouldn't have imagined that we would be eyeing their lair."

I'll give you two guerrillas from the men I brought to help with the city's defense.

In the next conflict, we'll wipe out their entire army to lure them into battle.

After that, as long as we give them a good beating on the battlefield, Aceh will surely be hesitant to act rashly.

Regardless of whether the war continues, they will certainly report the intelligence from here to their king.

At that time, I led three battalions of soldiers north by boat to attack their capital, aiming to take it down in a single day.

In that case, the intelligence they believe they have obtained from our army will become misleading false information, and they will certainly be unprepared.

"A covert maneuver?"

Upon hearing Li Chonggui's words, Commander Yu immediately realized what he was about to do.

He led his troops to draw away the Aceh army in the old port, and with more than a thousand men under his command, plus the navy, he should be able to muster two or three thousand men to launch a surprise attack on Kutaraja.

Well, the probability of success is quite high.

The question is, can the two thousand soldiers in Old Port withstand the siege of thirty to forty thousand troops from Aceh?
Furthermore, he will leave behind a thousand men to assist, and mobilize the able-bodied men in the city, which should be able to gather several thousand more.

All things considered, the number of troops that can be mobilized should be around ten thousand.

However, there are still many natives in the city, among whom there must be many Aceh spies, and we must guard against them attacking the city gates during wartime.

As for the port, the problem is not so big.

The docks were no longer important at that point. As long as they could successfully launch a surprise attack, capture the Sultan of Aceh, and then return to retake the docks.

"So, what should we do next?"

Once Yu Shoubei understood this, he felt that holding onto the old port for a few days didn't seem like a big problem.

If traveling by land, it would only take three or four days to send a message from Old Port at full speed.

The main reason was that there were still many primeval forests on Sumatra Island at that time, making it impossible to send messages in a straight line; in some places, detours were necessary.

On the contrary, the sea route is almost a straight line.

Once the fleet leaves the Strait of Malacca and turns west, it will reach the vicinity of Kutaraja in half a day.

If you're quick enough, you'll give him almost no time to escape.

"There are two hundred cavalrymen in the city. We can disembark near Kutaraja and ambush them in the south of the city."

If their Sultan wanted to flee, he would surely run south and join his army.

These two hundred cavalrymen can intercept them and capture their king directly.

After Yu Shoubei had made his plans, he immediately spoke.

When a battle reaches this point, the outcome is essentially decided; otherwise, there wouldn't be the ancient Chinese strategic saying, "To shoot a man, shoot his horse first; to capture a thief, capture his king first."

Once the Sultan of Aceh is captured, the Aceh army will be thrown into a panic, and the officers will be at a loss.

The battles that followed could no longer be considered battles; they were simply the cleanup of the remaining forces.

At this moment, the commanders of the navy and the land forces thought of the same thing and reached a consensus.

"Tomorrow I will have the army continue to be stationed near the port. Under the guise of secrecy, we will also occupy all the hills nearby that have a view of the dock and expel everyone from them, so that we are not discovered by their spies when we leave."

Li Chonggui immediately devised a plan: "Afterwards, we will gather our troops and give Aceh a good beating, as long as there is an opportunity."

You need to pass a message to the border troops: this time we're going to provoke them. As for any potential issues, don't worry about it.

"We are acting on imperial orders to destroy this nation, to show the vassal states of the South Seas that submission to our Great Ming is their only path to survival."

"I will give the order immediately."

Commander Yu kept his word and immediately issued orders to several outposts outside the city.

Orders to provoke trouble were given to two outposts, where the environment was most favorable for the Ming army to launch attacks, while the other outposts remained on guard against possible sneak attacks.

Soon, the order was issued, and Commander Yu said, "The order to them is to start looking for opportunities the day after tomorrow."

"Alright, let the men rest for the night."

When Li Chonggui spoke, Commander Yu already understood what he meant and smiled, "We arranged the wine and meat yesterday, so please rest assured, Lord Li."

Knowing that reinforcements were coming, the garrison not only allocated grain and fodder, but also had wealthy families in Old Port donate a batch of meat and vegetables.

At this time, the aroma of meat wafted through the military camp near the dock, and each squad of soldiers was also given a jar of wine.

According to military regulations, no alcohol is allowed during battle. However, there was only one jar, which was divided among about ten soldiers, meaning each person actually only drank about two bowls.

These days, the alcohol content of liquor is generally not high. For these young men, drinking two bowls of liquor is no different from drinking water.

They're happy as long as they're fed a full meal.

It's not that we're not getting enough to eat in Myanmar, but rather that we've been on the boat these past few days and haven't been able to eat these good things, so many people's mouths are practically watering.

The Ming army of today was certainly not the impoverished army of later generations, who were often starving and unpaid.

Wei Guangde had certainly heard of the opinions circulating online in later generations, such as the Eight Banners being invincible if they numbered less than 10,000, but those were just boasts from the victors.

Given the actual fighting strength at the end of the Ming Dynasty, the Ming army truly had the reputation of being invincible when its pay was full.

The Ming army, especially the border troops, was able to hold their own against the Manchu army under those circumstances, which shows they had some military skills.

Although the army's food is not good, it is enough to eat. The soldiers can also receive 50% of their salary, which is enough to support their families. They also receive bonuses when they go out to fight. The morale of the army has improved significantly.

"Is that person easy to get along with?"

Inside the garrison headquarters, Garrison Commander Yu pointed to the roof and asked a question.

"It's alright. As long as you flatter him and fawn over him a little, he's easy to talk to."

On the ship, aside from complaining about the conditions, he didn't say anything else and didn't interfere in military affairs.

Li Chonggui understood the meaning behind the other person's words and smiled.

Although he was an official in charge of delivering imperial edicts, because he was delivering edicts to the army from the capital, in the eyes of the generals, this was almost the same as being a military supervisor.

The imperial edict included a clause that this imperial censor would also serve as a military advisor. Although he was called an advisor, he was actually a military supervisor sent down to oversee military affairs.

What military generals fear most is that these civil officials know nothing but insist on forcefully exercising command, making these generals submit to their orders.

If anything goes wrong, they will impeach him for various reasons.

If they win, that's fine; but if they lose, the blame is often shifted onto them.

Hearing that this person was neither greedy for credit nor attached to command, Commander Yu immediately felt relieved.

"Will that person stay at the garrison headquarters or...?"

He didn't finish speaking, naturally waiting for Li Chonggui to decide whether he should stay or leave.

"Let's ask him when the time is right, after all, he's someone sent from the capital."

I reckon he'll come with me to Kutaraja, since capturing the King of Aceh is the most important achievement.”

Li Chonggui thought for a moment and then said.

"Alright, let him choose for himself."

In truth, no matter which choice they made, there were risks involved, and at this point, they had never considered the possibility of failure. (End of Chapter)