prosperous age

In the old port city, the Aceh commander was unaware that the Ming warships had left not to return to Burma to gather reinforcements, but to launch a surprise attack on Kutaraja.

After several days of unsuccessful sieges, the Aceh army changed its tactics and stopped relentlessly attacking the city walls.

In fact, once you encounter a strong fortress and fail to conquer it after a long siege, you will inevitably need to consider how to deal with enemy reinforcements.

Clearly, the Aceh commander believed they had anticipated the arrival of Ming reinforcements.

Next, they prepared a trap to annihilate the Ming reinforcements in the dock area.

Although they could not enter the port on a large scale, the terrain of the forts built by the Ming army on both sides was too tricky.

The fort was built on a small hillside, and the surrounding terrain was modified. The side facing the sea was already a cliff, while the other two sides were artificially made into cliffs two zhang high, with a city wall more than one zhang high above the cliffs.

With the Ming army surrounded on three sides, they only needed to deploy fewer musketeers on both flanks to kill a large number of enemy soldiers.

The only road in front of the fort was also zigzag-shaped along the mountainside and reinforced with stone embankments, meaning that every attack would be met with Ming army firearms.

The road was only wide enough for one carriage, so the advantage in troop strength could not be fully utilized.

As for the fortress, the power of the eight general cannons had already terrified the Aceh army.

Not only can it shoot from a great distance, but it is also very powerful.

Fortunately, they had already tested the range of the Ming army's artillery. Beyond the range of the two forts and outside the fire coverage of the old port city, there was a small vacuum zone.

Deploying a large number of troops in this vacuum area is definitely not enough.

However, if it is only intended as a pre-set artillery position, it is not difficult to concentrate the limited firearms of the Aceh army here.

After engaging the Ming army, the Aceh commander also discovered that using firearms in a dispersed manner was not very effective.

Firearms, as weapons, need to be concentrated and released on a large scale to maximize their destructive power.

Before they could even see the Ming army's cannons and arquebuses firing from the city walls, soldiers below the city fell in droves.

Therefore, the space that would not be affected by the Ming army's artillery fire was quickly occupied by the Aceh army, who dug trenches there.

Then, the Ming soldiers on the city walls and forts were surprised to see the Aceh army dragging cannons into the area, and they burst into laughter.

Although the Ming army saw the Aceh army's prized cannons, they were completely oblivious to them.

They were familiar with this type of cannon.

Although it wasn't made according to the Ming Dynasty's standards, the performance of artillery in those days could be roughly judged simply by observing the barrel and caliber, with very little error.

That location, if used as an artillery position, would pose no threat whatsoever to either the old port city or the two forts.

The Ming army's cannons couldn't hit them, but their cannons could never hit the city walls either.

"What are these barbarians doing?"
Did they think they could hit the city walls from that spot?

On the old port city wall, Commander Yu put down his telescope and muttered something under his breath.

"Lord Yu, what are you saying?"

At this moment, Imperial Censor Wang also climbed onto the city wall beside Commander Yu.

After the Aceh army attacked the city, Wang Yushi would still appear on the city wall during any lull in the siege, inspecting the surroundings.

Although I couldn't understand it, I still managed to make it look convincing.

He's a smart man; he absolutely won't touch anything he's not good at.

For example, on the battlefield, he entrusted the important task of defending the city to Commander Yu.

However, whenever the Aceh army attacked the city, he would regret not following Lieutenant General Li to fight against Kutaraja.

However, once the siege ended, he would no longer think that way.

Perhaps, the inherent belief among Han people is that it is safer to hide behind city walls.

It seems that the risk for Li Chonggui to attack other cities is higher than staying here.

Although there were only three or four thousand soldiers in the old port city, if the able-bodied men and sailors were gathered together, there would still be tens of thousands of troops available.

It's safer in the city.

Today, the Aceh army did not attack the city, and having heard what they were doing outside the city, they also went up to the east gate of the old port city wall to observe.

"Imperial Censor Wang, I was merely saying that the southern barbarians are ignorant, thinking that the place is safe just because it won't be bombarded by our cannons, and that we can deploy cannons with peace of mind."

Little did they know that setting up cannons at this location would be even more useless.

Their cannons posed no threat whatsoever to our city walls or the two forts outside the city.

Commander Yu hurriedly explained.

"Oh, because their cannons are small?"

Imperial Censor Wang asked with a smile.

He was in a great mood at the moment, and he had been quite startled when he recognized the cannons being moved outside the city earlier.

However, after observing it through the telescope for a long time, he felt that the cannon was not as powerful as the medium-sized general cannon on the warship.

However, he was not knowledgeable about military affairs, and it was only because of his unfavorable position at the time that he was assigned to go to Old Port by ship.

In principle, although he had no doubt that the Ming Dynasty would win, he was unwilling to come to a place like the battlefield, as a wise man would not stand under a dangerous wall.

However, since he was already there, he learned a lot.

The size of a cannon indicates its power and range.

This is one of the criteria for judging firearms in this era: just look at the size.

Small things are easy to pour, but large ones, if you're not careful, such as leaving air bubbles, can affect the safety of use.

Therefore, all Western countries wanted to build cannons, but they just couldn't.

The Ottoman Empire's super cannons, in particular, fascinated Western countries.

But what could they say when their craftsmen said they couldn't make it?
What's the point of forcing someone to build an unsafe cannon?

"What the master said is true. If the cannon is small, it can hold less gunpowder, and its range and power will not be high."

Commander Yu hurriedly flattered him.

"Then tell me, what do you mean by setting up cannons there?"

The Imperial Censor was also very curious. If it was pointless, why would the Aceh people do it?
Did I do something stupid?
Probably not.

Although he desperately wanted to win as soon as possible, he also didn't want to suffer an unexpected defeat.

If you can't figure it out, naturally you'll ask Commander Yu in front of you.

"Hiss, this one."

Commander Yu didn't know what to say for a moment, because he hadn't figured it out either.

"Sir, judging from their cannons, they can probably only reach a range of ten zhang outside the city at most, so they're probably not targeting us."

"You can tell from the fortifications they've built that they're facing the harbor."

A guerrilla general behind Commander Yu said in a low voice.

"The docks, weren't they abandoned? Are there still people guarding them?"

Commander Yu was startled; he had given orders.

The troops were withdrawn from the dock and split up to reinforce the defenses of the two forts on either side.

They had prepared a month's worth of food and water there beforehand, enough to last until the government troops captured Kutaraja.

"Although we can't see the port, we haven't seen the Aceh army attacking the docks these past few days."

Imperial Censor Wang also spoke up.

"Could it be that, well, they thought there would be reinforcements from our Great Ming Dynasty, so they set up cannons there?"

If government troops arrive to reinforce, can they then bombard the reinforcements at the dock with artillery?

The guerrilla general spoke cautiously.

"Lord Wang, are there any further reinforcements from Myanmar?"

Commander Yu was startled and immediately asked.

"This, I really don't know. I came as soon as I received the imperial decree, and perhaps the court will send reinforcements later."

Even Imperial Censor Wang was not calm.

If the imperial court really has reinforcements, then landing would be tantamount to certain death.

No.

Absolutely not.

They were filled with anxiety and uncertainty on the city walls, unaware that Wei Guangde in the capital city didn't care about the small amount of money from the Kingdom of Aceh. He thought that the Ming army had mobilized a large force of five or six thousand men, and that these were experienced troops from Burma and Southeast Asia, so destroying the Kingdom of Aceh would be a piece of cake.

Aceh estimated that he could gather about 50,000 to 60,000 men, but as long as they weren't all deployed to the battlefield at once, it would be as easy for the government troops to wipe them out as cutting melons and vegetables.

If he can't even do this, why would he be so foolish as to manufacture so many firearms for the Ministry of War and keep emphasizing the importance of training?

Therefore, they believed that reinforcements did come, but they were definitely not sent by the imperial court. Instead, they were a part of the South China Sea Navy that had set off from Luzon to patrol the South China Sea.

He never expected that the King of Aceh was truly audacious enough to want to take over Old Port City and complete the unification of Sumatra.

Moreover, more than 30,000 troops have already been assembled around the old port city.

With so many people, they could definitely give five or six thousand Ming soldiers a run for their money.

While it's not to the point of being unable to win, the losses will certainly be substantial.

After all, in those days, before machine guns and rapid-fire cannons, the power of primitive matchlock guns was indeed limited.

Of course, it's enough to defend the city.

"Commander Yu, how should we deal with the current situation?"

Imperial Censor Wang finally asked the question.

"Lord Wang, we still control two forts outside the port."

If reinforcements from the imperial court arrive, they will signal to the ships.

After a moment's thought, Commander Yu immediately replied.

"As long as the ships don't dock and the people don't disembark, the Southern Barbarians' cannons won't threaten the safety of the reinforcements."

Upon hearing what Commander Yu said, Imperial Censor Wang agreed wholeheartedly, but he still had some concerns.

Unfortunately, radio technology did not exist in this era.

Now that Aceh troops are stationed all around, it is difficult for them to contact the outside world.

However, if reinforcements arrive, the port area will certainly not be as calm as it is now, and news can always be obtained through clues.

As for what to do then, we'll talk about that when the time comes.

At this moment, Commander Yu was considering whether to send someone out of the city to the fort.

Although the Aceh army blockaded the old port city, their forces did not completely surround it; there were always gaps.

As long as the men sent out are careful and cautious, there is still a chance to scale the fences and trenches of the Aceh army and reach the fortress unnoticed.

"How many days have they been gone?"

Imperial Censor Wang suddenly asked another question.

"It's been four days. Judging by the time, they should have already captured Kutaraja and taken the Sultan of Aceh by now."

Commander Yu immediately spoke.

He had been keeping track of the time and felt that it should be time by now.

There hasn't been any bad weather in the past few days, so the fleet won't encounter any storms at sea.

Three days is enough time for the fleet to transport people there.

"That means if we hold out for another three to five days, the Acehnese outside the city will know that their king has been captured by us."

Imperial Censor Wang's mood improved, and he immediately spoke.

"Yes, at that time their morale was in chaos, and we were able to persuade them to surrender."

Commander Yu immediately smiled and said.

Isn't that interesting?

The besieged army called out to the army that besieged them, urging them to surrender.

It seems that nothing so ridiculous has ever happened in Chinese history.

"hehe.
"Then let's wait another five days. If we don't see any chaos in the Aceh army, we'll take the initiative to issue a statement and break the ice."

Imperial Censor Wang laughed.

Now, they no longer need to hide these words from the soldiers around them.

Previously, Li Chonggui's actions were only known to a few military officers.

But now, leaking the news would be an opportunity to boost the morale of the soldiers defending the city.

The news spread, and the soldiers knew that the imperial court had reinforcements. With Li Chonggui leading his troops to launch a surprise attack on the capital of Aceh, their morale immediately soared.

Just as they expected, after seeing that the Aceh army did not attack the city, they went down the city wall and returned to the garrison.

In such a short time, the news had spread like wildfire across the city walls.

The fact that the Aceh army revealed their treasured cannons initially took the Ming army by surprise.

After all, they knew the power of artillery.

When they learned about the positions where the Aceh army had set up artillery, most people were puzzled and couldn't understand why.

Now it's clear: the imperial reinforcements are still arriving in droves, and the Acehnese are panicking. That's why they've set up cannons east of the city in an attempt to block the docks and prevent the reinforcements from landing.

If people were initially skeptical of this news, the fact that Aceh brought over cannons suggests that the Aceh people must have received accurate information to do so.

With reinforcements arriving, even if they couldn't land at the port smoothly, the soldiers' morale was boosted.

Reinforcements are nearby, but they cannot land quickly via the dock.

They also controlled the fort, and there were mudflats nearby where small boats could dock.

In other words, the Aceh army was able to prevent the Ming army from sending reinforcements quickly, but it could not stop them from slowly transporting people to the island in small batches, like ants carrying food, by sampan.

At worst, we can wait a while until the army lands, then the Acehnese will be unable to withstand the Ming army's offensive.

Furthermore, the news that the capital of Aceh may have already fallen into the hands of the Ming army at this time was even more shocking.

Strictly speaking, the fall of the royal city a thousand miles away has an ongoing connection with their local area.

The news won't get through in a while, and even if it does, we can conceal it and continue the siege.

However, the soldiers believed that capturing or killing the King of Aceh would mean winning the war.

On the battlefield, if the commander's flag falls, the army will fall into chaos.

While the soldiers and officers on and around the city walls were enthusiastically discussing the news, it quickly spread throughout the city's inhabitants as well.

The people were happy because they had hope that the war would end soon.

The major families in the city reacted much more strongly to the news than the common people.

They were all relieved that they had stood their ground and had not sided with Aceh's envoys when they tried to persuade them.

To be honest, when you're adrift abroad, you need the support of a strong motherland to feel at ease.

At the very least, with the protection of the Ming Dynasty, their family members often received preferential treatment when doing business.

Because the surrounding vassal states and tribes were unwilling to easily provoke the Ming Dynasty.

Even when trading with barbarians, they could hold their heads high and negotiate.

"Captain, what should we do? People in Ming are saying that their army has already captured Kutaraja."

In a secluded courtyard within the city, several men dressed as Ming dynasty officials huddled together, whispering amongst themselves.

The Aceh spies who escaped the net naturally also received the news. (End of Chapter)