My Pen Pal Zhu Yuanzhang

Chapter 240 Ambush
"Commander, are you saying that the Ming court had no intention of engaging in a war with us, so they sent a mere 25,000 men to deal with the situation?"

Fan Keyong followed up on Ruan Duofang's words and said, "If that's the case, then why is the Ming court wasting so much effort? They're just doing something as useless as taking off their pants to fart!"

“Hahahaha!” Ruan Duofang laughed loudly and said, “Fan Jianjun, you only know how to fight wars, but you don’t understand state affairs!”

"Please forgive my stupidity. I hope you can help me solve my doubts!" ​​Fan Keyong looked humbly asking for advice.

"Although the Ming court did not directly send officials to Laos, the establishment of the Lao Xuanwei Office nominally declared Laos a territory of the Ming court. Now that the territory is being attacked by our Annan army, and the Ming court does nothing, guess how the Ming court and the people will view the emperor of the Ming court, and how will the vassal states view it?"

Ruan Duofang sneered, "The Ming Dynasty has only been established for sixteen years, and they have hastily rebuilt the tributary system. Most of the countries in the tributary system were inherited from the Yuan court. General Fan, do you understand the importance of this?"

Fan Keyong thought for a moment and said, "Is it for the legal system of the founding of the Ming Dynasty? With the recognition of foreign countries, the legal system of the Ming Dynasty will be legitimate."

"The legal system of the Central Plains Dynasty does not need to be recognized by foreign countries. General Fan, you still need to learn more about state affairs!" Ruan Duofang said.

"Commander, I understand. The Ming court sent out troops symbolically in order to show it to the vassal states. If the Ming court turns a deaf ear to it, the vassal states will think that the Ming court is weak and can be bullied, leading to disloyalty!" Fan Keyong thought for a while and said.

"Finally you have some brains!"

"Commander, are we just going to ignore the Ming army?" Fan Keyong asked cautiously.

"Stupid!" Ruan Duofang scolded, "Although the 25,000 Ming troops are not a threat to us, their presence in Nanzhang is still an obstacle. Once we enter Nanzhang, we will always have to face the Ming army!"

"So how should we use our troops next?"

"Stop attacking Vientiane, concentrate our main forces first, and wipe out the Ming army in one breath with lightning speed!" Ruan Duofang said in a deep voice.

"Will this anger the Ming court, and then send its main force to Laos?"

Fan Keyong was a little worried. Twenty-five thousand Ming troops were not scary, but the Ming Dynasty had more than twenty-five thousand soldiers!

"Humph, although the Ming Dynasty has millions of soldiers, its territory is vast, and there are too many places to garrison. The troops are scattered. Soldiers are needed in the northeast, northwest, and even southwest borders."

Ruan Duofang sneered: "Besides, the chieftains in Yunnan alone have already tied up the Ming army, otherwise they would not have sent only 25,000 people here to die!"

"Commander, I understand!"

Fan Keyong's face showed an eager expression, and he seemed to want to have a fight with the Ming army.

"General Fan!"

"The general is here!"

"I order you to lead 100,000 infantry, 40,000 archers, 10,000 cavalry, and 5,000 elephants north to Nanzhang and capture the Ming army within five days!"

Ruan Duofang paused, then continued, "Also, Master Li has been in Yunnan for many days and has not returned. You should continue to send scouts to Yunnan to pick up Master Li!"

"The last general takes command!"

After Fan Keyong knelt down to receive the order, he stood up again with a rather arrogant look on his face, "There are only over 20,000 Ming troops. I only need one day to lead the army and crush them to pieces!" Soon, under the leadership of Fan Keyong, an army of more than 150,000 Annan troops marched towards the Ming army stationed in Nanzhang.

The Laotian native soldiers in the Chuanwu area had been wiped out and could no longer organize an effective resistance. The Annan army entered Nanzhan without encountering any resistance, killing and hacking their way towards the Ming army's base.

The fear of the Annan army spread throughout Nanzhan in an instant. Su Wang was anxious and brought a group of local officials to the Ming army camp again.

At this time, inside the commander's tent, Xu Da, Li Wenzhong and several other soldiers were working on a battle plan by referring to the sand table.

"According to the information sent back by the reconnaissance team ahead, the actual number of the invading Annan army should be around 150,000. They have already passed through Fengsha Bay and are about 200 miles away from our army."

A soldier was using a small green flag representing the Annan army to stick it on the sand table, and then pointed at the sand table and said: "The area from Fengshawan to our army's garrison is mostly mountainous and jungle, with complex terrain, which is not conducive to the deployment of enemy cavalry and elephant soldiers. Even archers cannot exert their full strength. The only threat to our army is Annan's 100,000 infantry.

Our army can set up an ambush in the jungle or mountains, using fewer troops to defeat more enemies and avoid fighting the enemy in open areas!"

"General Zhao is right. The enemy's only route is from Phongsali to Mengsong and then to Banla. So the perfect place to set up an ambush is between Mengsong and Banla!"

Li Wenzhong pointed at the sand table and said to Xu Da: "Mengsong is a mountainous area, and from Mengsong to Banla, there is a large area of ​​rain forest. So our army can set up ambushes in Mengsong and Banla to block the enemy from both ends!"

Xu Da nodded and said, "After the enemy enters Banla, we will use the mountains in Mengsong to block the enemy's retreat. This plan is feasible!"

At this moment, the guard's voice came from outside the tent: "General, Laos' envoy Suwang and others want to see you."

Xu Da raised his head and looked at Li Wenzhong. Li Wenzhong smiled and said, "Our envoy is anxious again."

Xu Da said: "Let him in."

The curtain was lifted, and Su Wang and a group of local officials walked into the big tent. Before Li Wenzhong could say a few polite words, Su Wang said directly:
"General Xu, the Annan army of 150,000 is coming. It is expected that they will arrive here in about two days. In my opinion, the only way now is to retreat to the north and ask for help from the court. After the court's reinforcements arrive, we can fight a decisive battle with the Annan army!"

Su Wang spoke to Xu Da almost in a pleading tone, but unfortunately Xu Da was not moved at all, and his words made him despair.

"You've come just in time. We can wait for the arrival of our enemy and save a lot of walking."

"General Xu, please listen to my advice. There is an old saying in the Ming Dynasty: If you keep the green mountains, you will never worry about lack of firewood. Why should General Xu stay here and die in vain?"

Su Wang was really anxious. He didn't care that Xu Da was a first-class duke and he was only a fourth-rank envoy.

Xu Da, however, sat there with his horse and sword in his arms, not angry at all. He understood Su Wang's feelings. It was very loyal of him for a foreigner to be so loyal to the Ming Dynasty and not to run away yet.

We can’t discourage the enthusiasm of local officials, right?
Li Wenzhong said with a smile: "The envoy does not need to worry. We have our own ideas on how to fight the war."

Su Wang wanted to say something, but at this moment he heard a mysterious voice coming from a strange black box on Xu Da's waist.

"Headquarters, this is the reconnaissance team of the Fifth Sniper Battalion. We have received news from the First Sniper Battalion that the Annan army is now resting in Fengshawan and is expected to arrive in Mengsong tomorrow."

Suwang and a group of Laotian native officials were shocked and stared at Xu Da's waist. That box, was speaking?
(End of this chapter)