Chongzhen revived the Ming Dynasty

While turmoil was brewing in Korea, the Restoration Army had already arrived in Annam.

Upon arriving here, Yang Yufan discovered that the greatest enemy was not the Annamite army, but the climate and disease.

"This place is so hot, it's almost like summer in Liaodong."

"The soldiers fell ill as soon as they arrived. How can we continue fighting this battle?"

After removing his armor and wiping away the sweat, Yang Yufan complained.

He really hadn't expected Annam to be so hot in February.

Ai Nanying is from Jiangxi and is more adapted to the climate here. Hearing this, she smiled and said:

"Where are you going!"

“Annam is just out of the cool season, so the temperature isn’t hot yet.”

"It will be much hotter in another month, and the rainy season will begin."

"It will be hot and humid then, making it even easier to contract diseases than it is now."

This is the information gathered by the imperial court and has been relayed to the various levels of the Imperial Guards.

Ai Nanying took this quite seriously and made various preparations.

Yang Yufan was astonished upon hearing this, realizing the difficulty of the Annam War:

"The rainy season is in another month, so we only have one month left."

"It would have been better if we had sent troops sooner; it's cooler here in winter."

Ai Nanying knew some inside information and revealed:
"The imperial court originally did not intend to fight this war in Annam."

"But the Duke of England is in poor health and wants to open up the fiefdom as soon as possible."

"Merchants from the Suzhou-Songjiang New Area and Shuntian Prefecture do not want to interrupt their purchases."

"So when the imperial court had money, it decided to launch this war."

Yang Yufan frowned upon hearing this, showing extreme dissatisfaction:

"What if we suffer a defeat after such a hasty deployment of troops?"

"This is too frivolous; I wonder how many people will be lost."

Ai Nanying said with a smile:

"As long as the strategy is correct, there won't be much loss."

"You know what happened in Xuanguang Town, right? We should thank them."

Yang Yufan frowned even more, because he knew that the Yunnan troops' attack on Xuanguang Town was not going well.

He asked Ai Nanying:

"Where do you start talking about this?"

"Could it be that Governor Yuan pacified Xuanguang Town?"

Ai Nan Ying smiled mysteriously and said:

"If he had pacified the city, we would have already marched south and surrounded Thang Long City."

"However, the obstacles he encountered along the way provided an opportunity to change his strategy."

"Do you think Governor Zhu might be trying to lure out the Annamese army to find an opportunity for a decisive battle with Annamese?"

"Lure the Annamite army out?" Yang Yufan pondered, recalling Zhu Xieyuan's strategy for quelling the She'an Rebellion.

She An's army had been hiding deep in the mountains when Zhu Xieyuan sent troops to lure them out. They were then defeated in a single battle, securing victory in the southwest.

If the main force of Annam is also defeated by the Ming army, the subsequent battle will be without a doubt.

However, Yang Yufan was not optimistic, because he felt that the Annamese were not that stupid:

Would the Annamese believe it?

“Commander Zhu used this tactic once before, and the Annamite army is far inferior to ours.”

"They wouldn't be so foolish as to send their main force here."

Ai Nan Ying chuckled:
“The Annamese are not stupid, but if Xuan Quang Town could hold off the Yunnan troops, the Zheng family must think that they can too.”

"Therefore we should thank Governor Yuan for making Annam underestimate the military strength of the Ming Dynasty."

“We can suggest to Commander Zhu that we bring up the main force of Annam.”

"We can easily defeat them by using muskets."

Ai Nanying had no doubt about the power of the new muskets; even the Jurchens couldn't stop them.

Yang Yufan had no doubts either, and wholeheartedly agreed:
"That's right, we should lure the main force of Annam here!"

"This way, the Restoration Army will not have to continue south and risk contracting diseases during the rainy season."

“Those soldiers have just been allocated land in Liaodong, they can’t just die here in vain.”

Ai Nanying shared the same thought. The two had no doubt about the fighting strength of the Restoration Army, but were most worried about the climate and epidemics.

Unwilling to continue south, they jointly proposed a plan to lure the main force of Annam up to them.
-
When Zhu Xieyuan received the advice, he was also troubled by matters concerning the army.

He discovered that many soldiers transferred from the north had fallen without even fighting.

He asked Xu Chengming:

How many troops are available to be deployed now?

"How many of them were equipped with new firearms?"

Xu Chengming, the garrison commander of Changping Town, was his old subordinate, and upon hearing this, he immediately replied:

“Our old subordinates from the southwest can adapt; the climate here is not much different from that in the southwest.”

"Soldiers from the south were mostly unharmed, but about 20-30% of the soldiers from the north fell."

"Currently, under my command, the number of troops equipped with new firearms is approximately ten thousand."

Zhu Xieyuan frowned. This was only half the number of troops he had brought.

He asked again:

"What about the Restoration Army?"

How many people can we mobilize right now?

Xu Chengming said:

"The Restoration Army only sent its elite troops, with only seven or eight thousand soldiers."

"Many have fallen now, and we estimate that we can mobilize about 5,000, all of whom are equipped with muskets."

"However, this route is for crossing the sea and landing, and it will be commanded by Yang Yufan and Zheng Zhilong."

This was the previously decided strategy: four armies would advance simultaneously to encircle the main force of Annam.

However, this strategy failed after Yuan Chonghuan's Yunnan troops encountered obstacles, and it could not be enforced even if forced.

Considering the current state of his troops and the suggestions from Ai Nanying and Yang Yufan, Zhu Xieyuan made a decision:
"No need to land across the sea anymore!"

"Order all available troops to assemble and engage Annam in a decisive battle in the Lang Son area."

"Order Li Yun and Zhang Shize to march south and feign defeat to lure the Annamite troops to Lang Son."

This changed the strategy previously agreed upon at the court, and the main battle was far riskier than before.

Xu Chengming said:

"General, this is different from the strategy we decided on before."

"What if...what if..."

He wanted to remind Zhu Xieyuan that if he failed, he would have to take responsibility.

Zhu Xieyuan, however, said confidently:
"Nothing unexpected!"

"Fifteen thousand newly armed soldiers are enough to sweep Annam away."

"The most difficult thing was getting the main force of Annam to come up, but thanks to Governor Yuan, the Trinh family of Annam believed they could defeat us."

"As long as it's a head-on battle, we've never been afraid of anyone!"

Hearing this, Xu Chengming felt a surge of pride and shared the same opinion.

Even though he did not participate in the Liaodong campaign, he was unaware of the combat capabilities of the new firearms army.

However, he knew that when suppressing the She'an Rebellion, the Ming army's biggest headache was finding the enemy.

If Annamese troops come up on their own initiative, what do they have to fear?

However, the imperial court's strategy for Annam was not to defeat Annam, but to completely occupy the region.

Xu Chengming said:

"Many soldiers have already fallen, and even more may fall after entering Annam." "Even if the battlefield is over and the city remains intact, how can more than ten thousand soldiers occupy Annam?"

This was his biggest worry: that once he entered Annam, he would be annoyed by them again and eventually have to turn back.

Yuan Chonghuan failed at Xuanguang Town because he underestimated the Annamese people's willingness to resist.

Zhu Xieyuan also found this troublesome and sighed:
"We'll have to play it by ear!"

"If we fight well and completely annihilate the main force of Annam, we will move south to Thang Long City and set up a garrison on the Red River Plain."

"If the main force of Annam is defeated but not routed, then withdraw the troops first and send them out again after the rainy season."

"As long as we win this battle, we can give the court an explanation."

He told Xu Chengming about the court's plans. The purpose of this battle was not only to recover lost territory, but also to maintain the state of war.

It would be better to fight a war now and have an explanation; there's no need to insist on taking Annam.

In particular, the emperor had recently instructed him that if they couldn't conquer it this year, they should try again next year.

At that time, the northern troops had adapted to the situation here for a year and were able to fully exert their combat power.

Xu Chengming was eager to make a name for himself and didn't want to delay. However, the court's requirements were not high, which also reduced his pressure.

Soon, he led the soldiers of the Beijing garrison to prepare for war and joined forces with the Restoration Army.

After getting used to the terrain, the two armies headed towards Lang Son.
-
In Lang Son, Zhang Shize received Zhu Xieyuan's order and angrily said:

"This is incredibly disrespectful! They actually let us feign defeat?"

"How could those monkeys in Annam possibly defeat us?"

Zhang Jingxin, who was also in Lang Son, thought to himself:

"Commander Zhu's strategy is correct."

"Now that our forces in Yunnan are blocked, our three forces combined are suitable for a decisive battle."

"To win the decisive battle, we must lure the enemy up and give them confidence."

"As long as we defeat Annam's main force, we can take Thang Long City at our disposal."

As a descendant of the Duke's family, Zhang Shize valued prestige more, and shook his head, saying:

"Even if the strategy is correct, it won't work. Our Duke of England cannot afford to lose in Annam."

Zhang Jingxin advised:

"It's just a feigned defeat; if we win, we can fight back."

Zhang Shize refused to agree because he feared that the Annamese natives would see through him and make his territory unstable in the future.

He said to Zhang Jingxin:

"If you want to lose, then send more men. In any case, the Duke of England's guards cannot be defeated."

Zhang Jingxin felt somewhat helpless, but she couldn't force Zhang Shize to carry out the order.

Even Li Yun was helpless against this grandson of the Duke.

As the two were in a dilemma, Zhang Shan, the military attaché of the delegation, said:
"Feigning defeat is easy. As long as the armor and weapons are there, we can send some people to put on a show."

"General, I am willing to lead my troops out of the city and lure the Annamite troops here."

Zhang Shize was delighted upon hearing this, while Zhang Jingxin frowned and said:
"War is a dangerous and perilous affair; it's not a game!"

"If you say that failing to lure in the main force of Annam will ruin the decisive battle strategy, then I cannot protect you either."

Zhang Shan said with a smile:

"Do not worry!"

"When I was rehearsing the Three Kingdoms wrestling play, I heard many battle examples."

"There are also various disguise methods to ensure that the Annamese cannot tell the difference."

He patted his chest and assured Zhang Shize that he had sent three hundred guards, who disguised some surrendered Annamite soldiers, and then headed south.
-
Thang Long City.

Zheng Jian was terrified after learning that the Ming Dynasty had sent troops.

Compared to the colossal Ming Dynasty, Annam was an absolute small country, utterly lacking the strength to resist.

In the fourth year of the Yongle reign, the Ming Dynasty launched a campaign against Annam and conquered the country in just five months.

Zheng Jian realized that he did not have the strength to be an enemy of the Ming Dynasty.

Now that the Ming army is marching south, how should we deal with it?
"The Ming Dynasty mobilized four armies, totaling 60,000 men, to conquer Annam under the banner of the Mo family."

What do you think we should do?

Zheng Jian asked his officials.

At this time, the administration of Annam was basically in the hands of his shogunate, and the Le Dynasty emperor was a mere puppet.

However, at this moment, the role of the puppet became apparent, and one of the officials suggested:

"The Mo family is committing treason; we should condemn this disloyalty in His Majesty's name."

“Send someone to explain to the Ming Dynasty that the legitimate dynasty belongs to the Li family.”

These words sounded like a sign of weakness, and one of the military officers said:

"The Ming army has already invaded; what else can be explained?"

"If you ask me, we should mobilize our troops and attack."

"We have an army of 100,000 and 500 war elephants, why should we be afraid of the Ming Dynasty?"

This was the wealth accumulated by the Zheng family over decades, which enabled them to become the most powerful force in Annam.

However, compared to the Ming Dynasty, it seems far too little.

Although the Ming Dynasty only dispatched 60,000 troops this time, it can easily send 100,000 troops later.

Trinh Quy himself did not want to fight, because he knew that once he was defeated, the Trinh clan would lose its power to intimidate Annam.

Even if we win, there will be no benefit, and we won't be able to cede territory from the Ming Dynasty.

He kept the Mo family alive because he feared the Ming Dynasty. If it weren't for the Ming Dynasty's protection, he could have wiped them out long ago.

Now, the Mo family is colluding with the Ming Dynasty, using the pretext of restoring old territories to send troops south, which infuriates him:
"This Mo family member is truly a scourge."

"We should have killed him sooner!"

Thinking fiercely to himself, Zheng Yong was undecided about whether to fight or make peace.

The final decision was to send someone to the Ming Dynasty to explain the situation while simultaneously preparing the army for war.

However, many people lacked confidence in fighting against the Ming army.

Especially after Lang Son was captured by the Ming army, Thang Long City was in constant fear, and many people fled.

Even Zheng Jian considered moving the capital to temporarily avoid the Ming army's advance.

However, just as he was about to abandon the city and flee, news from Xuanguang Town made him change his mind:
"You're saying that a Ming army was blocked at Xuanguang Town?"

The messenger said:

"Not only did they block them, they also kept that Ming army line unable to move."

"The Ming army that was led by a famous general of the Ming Dynasty, the only one who could defeat the Jurchens."

"So, that Ming army is an elite force!" Zheng Jian was very satisfied.

He held Xuan Guang Town in utter contempt, believing that he could eliminate them if he made up his mind.

Now that even Xuanguang Town could hold off an entire army, he immediately underestimated the Ming army's fighting strength:

"If Xuanguang Town can hold off one route, surely I can hold off the other three?"

"If we flee without a fight, who knows how much they'll laugh at us."

He began to think about fighting a battle to test the strength of the Ming army.

If the Ming army is just a showpiece, he wouldn't mind invading Guangxi instead.

Therefore, from then on, Zheng Yong began to seriously prepare for war, intending to resist the Ming army when it marched south. If Wu Zetian could do it, there was no reason why he couldn't.

However, he never expected that after the Ming army captured Lang Son, they would not move south but instead stay there.

Zheng Jie sent people to investigate carefully and found that most of the Ming army had fallen ill due to acclimatization problems.

This immediately made him beam with joy:
"God help me too!"

"The Ming army is not a concern."

He immediately mobilized an army of 100,000 men, along with 500 war elephants, and called it 100,000 military elephants, to attack Lang Son.

He wanted to defeat the Ming army in Lang Son and push them back.

That way, he could use his achievements in territorial expansion to replace the Lê dynasty and become the emperor of Annam. (End of Chapter)