My Pen Pal Zhu Yuanzhang

Chapter 245 Is this victory?
Fan Keyong has completely collapsed. The Ming army is going to kill them all!

You can't fight, and you can't escape. If you don't want to die, the only option left is to surrender.

Soon, the Annan army, which had been beaten to pieces, put down their weapons, knelt on the ground and surrendered to the Ming army.

Fan Keyong was so angry that he started cursing and chopped off several people's heads, but it couldn't stop the soldiers' determination to surrender.

They were not afraid to fight to the death with the enemy, but faced with an enemy that they could not defeat at all, they could no longer muster the courage to resist.

"Fourth uncle, why are the Annan people throwing away their weapons? Are they surrendering? I just shot and killed more than ten people, and I haven't had enough!"

Li Jinglong was a little disappointed. They surrendered so quickly. These Annan people were too weak to fight!

They don't even have the courage to resist to the end. How dare these Annan people dare to invade the Ming Dynasty's territory?

Soon, the gunfire stopped. The Ming army soldiers stood up from the mountain. After going down the mountain, they asked the Annan soldiers to tie each other up and then drove them out of the forest.

Fan Keyong looked at the Ming army soldiers who were all covered with thatched cloaks, and finally understood why he didn't notice the Ming army's ambush when he passed through here for the first time. With such disguise, who could tell?
Humph, the Ming army is despicable and shameless. They defeated us by relying on this shameless trick. It was an unfair victory!

If they fought openly, Fan Keyong was confident that he could definitely defeat the Ming army.

Fan Keyong was brought in front of Zhu Di and Li Jinglong by two Ming army soldiers on his left and right. Fan Keyong struggled desperately, shouting something, but his face was full of unwillingness.

Fan Keyong did not know Zhu Di, but Zhu Di knew him. The investigation team had found out his identity during the investigation a few days ago.

Seeing that Zhu Di and Li Jinglong were dressed no differently from ordinary Ming army soldiers, all wearing those colorful and strange-looking clothes, Fan Keyong thought that Zhu Di was just an unknown minor official. When facing the two of them, his nose was turned to the sky.

Zhu Di snorted coldly and said slowly, "What, you're not convinced?"

"You are just a small official. What qualifications do you have to talk to this general!" Fan Keyong said disdainfully.

Fan Keyong spoke Ming Dynasty official language, and Zhu Di and the soldiers beside him understood it. It was not uncommon for the people of Annam to speak Ming Dynasty official language. In Annam, from the king to the nobles and ministers, no one could not speak Ming Dynasty official language.

The gentry and landlords also took pride in learning the Ming Dynasty's official language.

Upon hearing this, Li Jinglong couldn't help but burst out laughing, "Fourth uncle, he doesn't seem to know you."

Zhu Di said nonchalantly: "What's the problem with not knowing me? There are many people in the Ming Dynasty who don't know me, and I don't seem to have lost a piece of meat!"

However, the Ming army soldiers nearby were not happy about this. Zhu Di was the Fourth Prince Shangguan, whom they respected the most. The soldier who was holding Fan Keyong could not help but slap him on the head.

"You are so bold and crazy, you don't recognize the real you. The one standing before you is the Fourth Prince of the Ming Dynasty. Why don't you kneel down before him!"

"Fourth Prince?"

Fan Keyong was shocked. How could he have imagined that the prince of Ming Dynasty would come to this poor and remote place to set an ambush!
"I am Zhu Di, the fourth prince of the Ming Dynasty, and this is Young Master Li, the son of Duke Cao of the Ming Dynasty."

Zhu Di pointed at Li Jinglong and Li Jinglong bowed perfunctorily, but looked at Fan Keyong with a joking expression.

Fan Keyong was suddenly stunned. He didn't expect that the person he was facing was the top prince and noble of the Ming Dynasty.

However, he would not accept it in his heart, and snorted coldly:

"Humph, you Ming army are as cowardly as mice, relying on such despicable means as ambushes to win. I, Fan Keyong, refuse to accept this!"

He glared at Zhu Di and Li Jinglong and continued, "You, the Ming army, rely on your powerful firearms to win. If you have the guts, fight us with real swords and guns!"

"Haha, people from small places have never seen the world and don't know what it means for industrial society to crush agricultural society."

Li Jinglong imitated the new words he had heard from his uncle and said with disdain: "Are you stupid? You don't have to use a knife when you have a gun. War is not a fight between reckless men. Do you understand?"

It has to be said that Li Jinglong is a very eloquent person. With just a few words, he almost made Fan Keyong's nose crooked with anger. He didn't understand anything about industrial society and agricultural society.

However, Zhu Di's next words made his heart fall to the bottom in an instant.

"General Fan, for our Ming army, the form of war has long changed. The Ming army has long eliminated swords, spears, and halberds. From now on, the Ming army will only be equipped with more powerful muskets!"

After taking Fan Keyong away, they were busy counting the prisoners of war and found that more than 50,000 Annanese were captured in this ambush. At this point, the main force of Annan invading Laos was almost wiped out. The news of the victory was reported to Xu Huizu. After Xu Huizu left 2,000 people to clean up the battlefield, the rest of the Ming army rushed over to help transport the prisoners.

At this time in the Ming army's base camp, the soldiers of the artillery camp guarding the garrison seemed a little bored.

After arriving in Laos from Kunming, they have been staying at the base, either watching for rain or swatting mosquitoes all day long. If they continue to stay like this, they are about to get moldy.

Although Laotian food is very unique, eating it every day will make your mouth water. Many people begin to miss the delicious food of Yunnan.

Unfortunately, this ambush was mainly carried out in the mountains and forests, which was not conducive to the mobility and deployment of the artillery battalion, and they did not have the opportunity to show their skills.

They were not worried at all about the Ming army fighting on the front line. When they first went north to the desert, they defeated the fierce Mongolian cavalry with fewer soldiers. Now they were equipped with new guns, so the Annan troops were even less of a problem.

The only thing they complained about was why the soldiers on the front line had not finished fighting yet, which was a bit too slow.

Different from the relaxed atmosphere in the artillery camp, the situation with Xuanwei Envoy Su Wang and a group of local officials was quite different.

At this time, they were guarding the edge of the camp, looking into the distance from time to time, anxiously waiting for the outcome of the war.

Everyone was worried and afraid. No one was optimistic about the Ming army. The atmosphere was so depressing that they almost felt suffocated.

A native official couldn't help but say, "Sir Xuanwei, I don't know how the war is going on in the front. It really makes me anxious!"

It would have been fine if he didn't say anything, but as soon as he opened his mouth, the local officials immediately started talking.

"Yes, I don't know what the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty was thinking. He only sent out 20,000 troops. What's the point? Annan sent out 200,000 troops, a full ten times difference. How can we fight this war?"

The native official spoke in a low voice while looking around furtively, fearing that his words would be heard by the Ming army.

Su Wang looked in the direction of the battlefield, took a few deep breaths, and forced himself to calm down before saying:

"Don't be so anxious for now. The soldiers of the Xuanwei Division have already delivered ammunition to the Ming army on the front line. It won't be too late to ask them after they come back."

"But, sir, I am afraid that the troops we sent out will also be wiped out by the Annan army!"

After these words were spoken, everyone shook their heads, sighed, and lamented their uncertain future.

Just as they were anxiously waiting for the outcome of the war, suddenly, they saw Xu Da and Li Wenzhong coming out of the general's tent and walking towards them.

"Meet General Xu and General Li."

After Su Wang and his local officials saluted, he said to Xu Da, "General Xu, I wonder how the battle is going on ahead. Should we be prepared?"

Xu Da said: "Yes, yes, there is something that requires you to prepare."

When Su Wang heard this, his heart suddenly sank. It was all over. The battle ahead was bound to be a disastrous defeat.

"General Xu, I will order people to pack up now. Where are we going to retreat to? Should we retreat to Yunnan?"

When Xu Da heard this, he was stunned. It took him a while to realize that the envoy had misunderstood his meaning.

"Sir Xuanwei, there is no need to retreat. Quickly order someone to clear a piece of land next to the camp to accommodate the prisoners."

"Yes, General Xu. I will order someone to do it right away... Wait a minute!"

Su Wang looked up at Xu Da in disbelief, "General Xu, what did you just say?"

Not only Su Wang, but the other local officials were also shocked.

"Sir Xuanwei Envoy, what I mean is that the war in the front is over, and we need to clear a piece of land to accommodate the prisoners!" Xu Da said with a smile.

"No, General Xu, you mean, we won the battle?"

Then Su Wang looked at Li Wenzhong again, only to see Li Wenzhong smiling and nodding. This time, he was finally sure that the Ming army had won!
At this moment, Su Wang suddenly stood there in a daze, his mind went blank, and he had no idea what he was thinking.

(End of this chapter)