Yongle Emperor's grandson: Zhu Yuanzhang with cheats, Zhu Di went crazy

Chapter 191: Return to Homeland after a Century of Lost Land

After dealing with Champa, Zhu Zhanjun did not stop at all and, under the same name, his army went straight into Zhenla.

The people of Zhenla were still watching the excitement, but they didn't expect that the fire would actually start on themselves.

He immediately sent an envoy to negotiate with Zhu Zhanjun.

As a result, before the envoys found Zhu Zhanjun, the country was occupied by the Shenwei Camp.

When the envoy arrived at the Governor's Mansion, the soldiers refused to let him see Zhu Zhanjun without hesitation.

In the words of the soldiers: Your country is gone, what’s the use of you being an envoy?
In this way, the Zhenla Kingdom followed in the footsteps of the Champa Kingdom without knowing it.

The people in the country had not yet understood what was happening before their country was destroyed.

Seeing the two guys being wiped out directly, Siam was trembling with fear.

While the king sent people to negotiate with Zhu Zhanjun, he was also hunting down the Zhenla and Champa people in the country.

No matter what they do, as long as they are from these two countries, they will all be arrested and sent to the Ming Dynasty.

"We can't give Daming any reason to catch us. As long as we clean up thoroughly, we will be safe. Daming and the others..."

"My king, my king, something bad has happened..."

The king was speaking passionately to his ministers when a messenger ran in nervously.

Hearing this cry that sounded like his mother's death, the king trembled and looked at the messenger nervously.

The messenger had a sad face and spoke in a trembling voice.

"When the Shan'an envoy saw the Ming crown prince, he suddenly launched an assassination attempt and was captured on the spot."

"Boom!"

When the king was struck by thunder, he was burnt on the outside and tender on the inside. He looked at the messenger in disbelief.

"How is that possible? Is he a pig? Doesn't he know what the consequences will be?"

The soldier shook his head in confusion, but still answered: "According to the news conveyed by the Ming Dynasty, it is said that the wife of the Shan'an envoy was a Champa person and a powerful minister. She died in the battle with the Ming army."

"He assassinated the Ming Emperor's grandson to avenge his father-in-law."

"I……"

The king didn't know what to say for a moment. This news was really ridiculous.

"Report..."

The group of people were shocked by the news, but before they could come to their senses, a miserable scream came from outside the door.

Everyone looked over and saw a soldier running in, exhausted, shouting, "Your Majesty, the Ming army has launched an attack, and our soldiers have suffered heavy losses. General Amu could not hold on and surrendered to the Ming."

"puff!"

The king spat out a mouthful of blood and fell straight to the ground.

His great general actually surrendered.

The other side brought his main army of 30,000 troops, but as soon as he received the news, they surrendered and were defeated.

Siam is also doomed.

"With great vigor and vigor, they rush to the battlefields, with the bright flags of the sun and the moon flying in the wind, the rise of the Chinese nation is unstoppable..."

On the road to the capital of Silla, the soldiers of the Shenwei Camp, wearing red military uniforms and carrying guns, marched quickly while singing war songs.

On both sides of the road, countless Siamese people lined the streets to welcome them.

Faced with their own national defense army being defeated and captured by the Ming army, they all picked up stones and mud and threw them at them.

After all, these troops are not incompetent. How could they be forced to come out at knifepoint and welcome the enemy's army?

"How far is it from the capital?"

Shen Shan wiped the sweat from his forehead and asked the adjutant next to him.

He is the one with the highest title in the Shenwei Camp, Qingyang Bo Shenshan.

He is Shen Shan's guard and one of Feng Bo's men.

He is different from Xiaohu and others. He has been able to read and write since childhood and is very interested in military tactics.

After returning from the north, in addition to protecting Zhu Zhanjun, he spent his days reading military strategies or asking the officers of the Shenjiying for advice on combat experience.

After the establishment of the Shenwei Camp, Shen Shan became the commander-in-chief of the first battalion of the Shenwei Camp. Except for Liangzi, who was in charge of intelligence, Shen Shan was the most pragmatic person with the highest position among all the brothers.

Zhu Zhanjun also attached great importance to him. When the army came to the south to change guard, Zhu Zhanjun arranged for Shen Shan to study with Xu Da.

Shen Shan lived up to everyone's expectations and studied military tactics seriously every day and practiced his practical experience.

In Xu Da's words, Shen Shan may not become a famous general in the future, but he can also be a general who can be entrusted with tasks.

The troops responsible for attacking Siam this time were the First Battalion led by him, the Fourth Battalion responsible for cooperation, and the reserve battalion as a cooperative force.

The Shenwei Battalion and the Reserve Battalion have a total of more than 36000 people. The configuration is the same as the Shenji Battalion, with each battalion consisting of more than 5000 people.

Including the reserve battalion, the entire Shenwei Battalion is divided into 7 battalions.

The battalion officer is commanded by the general, who is responsible for commanding the army in combat, daily training and other issues.

Zhu Zhanjun has no plans to expand all his troops into a large corps for the time being. The battalion level will be the largest military organization under his command for some time.

If there is a unified command for the operation, it will be under unified command by him and Xu Da.

Moreover, most of the southern countries are small countries, and the mountains and forests are dense, which makes it unsuitable for large-scale military deployment. The battalion-level organization is the most appropriate.

"Twenty miles to go!"

The combat staff officer next to him took a look at the opened map and immediately made a report.

"What's the current situation on the other side?"

"The country's gates are closed, and there are soldiers on the city walls. I guess they want to fight to the death."

"Fight to the death!"

"hehe!"

Looking back at the two large carriages following the team, Shen Shan smiled disdainfully.

For the Shenwei Battalion, which has been training all year round, twenty miles is just a little over two hours' march.

When we arrived, we saw the capital of Siam.

Although it is called the capital, its defensive capabilities are actually no different from those of a small town in the Ming Dynasty.

Looking at the low city wall and the soldiers on the wall who mostly did not even have armor, Shen Shan waved his hand calmly.

"Prepare for bombardment!"

As the First Battalion of Shenwei, their equipment configuration is the most comprehensive.

Not only were they equipped with the most advanced weapons, but they also had a dedicated artillery unit, including 12 light artillery pieces and 24 tiger squat cannons of various types.

Following Shen Shan's order, the artillery, which had already been deployed, began to bombard the small city in the distance.

One shell after another whizzed and hit the city wall heavily, causing smoke and rocks to fly all over the wall. From time to time, screams and terrified wails could be heard.

At the same time, the first batch of attacking soldiers advanced quickly in a skirmish formation. When they reached a distance of more than 150 meters, they each sought cover and began shooting at the city wall.

"Bang bang bang..."

The troops were equipped with new rifled flintlock muskets, and their attack distance made the enemy feel desperate.

The only thing that can be reached is the siege crossbow, which is beyond the reach of bows and arrows.

The first batch was concentrated by artillery fire, and the remaining useful ones didn't even dare to show their heads.

After an hour of continuous shooting, the team slowly withdrew.

In this round of shooting, except for an unlucky guy who sprained his ankle, there were no casualties on the Ming army side.

The walls of the attacked Siamese city were full of potholes, and some of the parapets had large cracks.

The city wall was inlaid with various bullets, and there were some gaps with blood seeping out. It was obvious that there were serious casualties behind.

"Listen everyone inside. You have half an hour to come out and surrender, otherwise we will launch the most violent attack."

After the troops withdrew to their starting positions, an officer who understood Siamese, holding a large tin loudspeaker, shouted at the city wall from a safe distance.

Shen Shan watched calmly.

Behind him, the cover of a carriage had been lifted up, revealing a launching pad that was stabilized on the carriage.

On this launch pad, there is a terrifying thing, ready to go.

He had a powerful weapon for breaking into cities, but this thing was too expensive. He had to beg Zhu Zhanjun for a long time before he was able to equip his first battalion with two.

He seldom takes them out at ordinary times. According to his officers, the general treats these two things better than his sons and daughters-in-law.

Shen Shan only had these two things as a precaution. He would not use them unless it was absolutely necessary.

There is no need to spend money to solve a problem that can be solved with words.

There was no response from the officials as they shouted, and they looked as if they were determined to defend the city to the death.

"General, we are ready and can fire at any time."

The officer in charge of operating the Tianji Arrow came forward to report on the preparations.

"Wait a little longer and see if they are real."

Shen Shan replied, sitting on the chair and looking calmly at the city wall in the distance.

Time was approaching little by little, and when the appointed time was about to be reached, Shen Shan had already raised his hand, and a piece of white cloth was hung on the city wall.

"Ming army sir, we are willing to surrender. Please wait a moment. The city gate has been sealed and we are clearing it."

Shen Shan withdrew his hand and gave a wink to his top general, who immediately led his elite troops forward and prepared to stand by.

There was a commotion behind the city wall. Half an hour later, the city gate was opened and a group of officials, holding several people tied up, walked out in a large crowd.

"General Daming, we have decided to surrender. Please ensure our safety as requested."

Then he pointed to the tied people and said, "These are our king, his eldest son, and some diehards. We are willing to hand them over to the Ming Dynasty."

A cold light flashed in Shen Shan's eyes.

He despised people who sought glory from their master the most, but as a general on the front line, these matters were not his business.

With a wave of his hand, his brave generals, who had been on standby, led their elite troops into the city.

Soon, the mighty tiger battle flag was flying on the city wall.

"Reporting to His Highness, my First Battalion has occupied Siam. The king and all the ministers have been captured."

The news soon reached the Governor's Mansion. Xiao Hu ran in excitedly and reported to Zhu Zhanjun, who was discussing things with Xu Da: "Your Highness, Siam has surrendered, and Shanzi is about to occupy the entire territory of Siam."

Upon hearing the good news, Zhu Zhanjun and Xu Da looked at each other and smiled.

"We have already taken over the southern region. The next step is not the most difficult, but to stabilize it. Who do you plan to let manage it?"

Xu Da drank a sip of tea and asked Zhu Zhanjun about his plans.

He was just a general who was good at fighting. Although Xu Da was also good at managing the local area, he preferred to command the army to fight on the battlefield.

So at the beginning he made it clear that he was only responsible for fighting for Zhu Zhanjun, and Zhu Zhanjun would have to find people himself to manage the territory.

"Don't worry, I already have a candidate."

Zhu Zhanjun replied with a smile and shouted to Xiaohu, "Go and call Ruzhen in."

Xu Da looked towards the door curiously.

The Chinese New Year just ended a few days ago, so Zhu Zhanjun must have someone to help him.

But he has been fighting these days and has not paid attention to these things. He thinks that this person named Ruzhen should be the one who came this year.

Soon, an elegant middle-aged man walked in, led by Xiaohu.

"Student Hu Ruzhen pays respects to His Highness and greets Governor Xu."

"it is good."

Xu Da looked the other person up and down, with admiration in his eyes.

This man has an elegant look, but he has a soldier's aura in his bones, which is in line with Xu Da's ideal of a Confucian general.

"His name is Hu Ruzhen, and everything he inherited is a replica of Hu Zongxian during the Jiajing period."

Zhu Zhanjun talked about the historical situation of Hu Zongxian.

After hearing about Hu Zongxian's life, Xu Da was more satisfied.

This man has been fighting Japanese pirates in Fujian, Zhejiang and other places for many years. He has good abilities in mountain warfare and mountain management, and is very suitable for managing the captured southern region.

"Ruzhen, most of the southern areas have been taken, and the main army will continue to advance southward. Duke Xu and I cannot stay here for long, so we have discussed and decided that you will take over the position of Governor of Annan and be responsible for managing the entire post-war area. Do you have the confidence to take over all of this?"

Hu Ruzhen bowed and said, "Please rest assured, Your Highness and the Governor. I have also done a lot of research on the southern land. As long as Your Highness gives me the corresponding power, I guarantee that within ten years, I will return a safe and stable Annan to Your Highness."

"Okay, I'll leave this to you."

Zhu Zhanjun said with satisfaction, "In order to let you manage the place well, I will leave the reserve camp and the anti-Japanese troops you brought with you to form the Annan Guard Corps for you."

"You will be the governor-general and responsible for managing all military and political affairs in Annan. You will also be given the power to execute first and report later. If anyone disobeys or rebels against the Ming Dynasty, you can make your own decision and report to me afterwards."

"As for logistical supplies, Zheng Zilong will provide them to you. If you need anything, just ask him directly."

When Hu Ruzhen heard that he was given such great power and an army of 10,000 people, he lifted his robe, knelt down and said loudly: "Your Highness Hu Ruzhen, I obey your orders!"

(End of this chapter)