Fu Shanhe

Chapter 551 An Unexpected Assist

Diplomatic efforts cannot change the disadvantages on the battlefield.

Losing a city today, losing territory tomorrow, bad news remains the main theme on the battlefield.

When the mission arrived on Luzon Island, a quarter of the Kingdom of Burma had already fallen.

"You're saying the mercenary group was ambushed and wiped out before even reaching the front lines?"

Seeing Antonio return in a disheveled state, Rolf posed a soul-searching question.

In continental Europe, a thousand mercenaries might not seem like much.

Even in colonies, this remains a very important armed force.

Of Spain's many overseas colonies, only a very few had the resources to maintain a standing army of thousands; most relied on civilian militias.

Colonial companies and reclamation groups of all sizes were the mainstream of this era.

The government was only nominally in charge; in reality, most of the colonial activities in the region were carried out by civilian armed groups.

The primary reason for civilian groups to participate in overseas colonial activities was to seek profits.

In order to control costs, their colonial methods usually involve taking control of a piece of land at the lowest possible cost.

Even in a strategic location like Luzon, there are only about 10,000 immigrants, and at most, three or four thousand troops can be mobilized.

In fact, this was due to the support provided to the Annam Protectorate by the country as a result of its rise.

To put it bluntly, those large pirate groups active in East Asia could pose a threat to their survival.

"Yes, Your Excellency!"

"If it weren't for God's blessing, you wouldn't even be here to see me."

Antonio replied, still shaken.

In the event of the annihilation of a large army, to be able to escape with one's life on the battlefield is truly a blessing from God.

"Oh!"

"Damn it!"

"God, why did I have to run into a bunch of Eastern devils!"

Rolf couldn't help but complain.

As the governor, he was fully aware of the mercenary group's combat capabilities.

Judging from the outcome of the war, the fighting strength of Yu's army clearly exceeded their prior estimates.

The idea that a single Spanish soldier could defeat ten Yu soldiers is clearly wishful thinking.

If the difference in strength between the two sides is truly that vast, the battle wouldn't be one-sided.

"Your Excellency, now is not the time for sentimentality; we must find a way to clean up the mess."

The second batch of reinforcements has arrived in Myanmar, and it shouldn't be long before they engage in battle with Yu's army on the battlefield.

At this point, it was too late to retreat.

Judging from the combat capabilities demonstrated by Yu Jun, the enemy's combat capabilities are not much weaker than ours.

The Burmese have limited fighting capabilities and are unlikely to be of much help.

With only a dozen or so mercenary allies, they were clearly no match for the enemy on the battlefield.

The garrison commander, Leoni, spoke up to offer a reminder.

He didn't care how many mercenaries died, but with the outbreak of the Annam Protectorate, the military balance in Southeast Asia had been broken.

The combined military strength of all the European colonies in the region was barely enough to fill the gaps between the enemy's teeth.

If this continues, the Spanish kingdom's colonies in Southeast Asia will inevitably be lost.

He could not care whether the kingdom could retain Luzon in the future, but it was imperative to retain it now.

He spent a lot of money to secure the position of garrison commander, and he hasn't even recouped his costs yet.

"Ok!"

"Given the current situation, there is no other option but to increase troop deployments domestically."

Given the current situation, we need at least 30,000 reinforcements to stabilize the situation.

However, given the tense situation in Europe, the reports we sent back home might not be taken seriously by those old men.

The situation on the Burmese battlefield is even more challenging. Yu's army's offensive is too fierce. If this situation continues, they may not be able to hold out until the next Christmas.

The only good news is that the Burmese are actively trying to save themselves and are preparing to drag the Mughal Empire into war.

The ultimate showdown between two superpowers in the human world should be quite a spectacle.

For the sake of the kingdom's strategic security, we must give them a push from behind, making these two monsters fight each other!

Rolf pondered for a moment before speaking.

When the tentacles of European colonizers had just reached the subcontinent, the Mughal Empire was still at its zenith.

The two sides have not yet clashed head-on. Based solely on the intelligence gathered, the Mughal Empire was a behemoth with a population of over 100 million.

Theoretically speaking, the Mughal Empire was the only major empire in Asia that could rival the Great Yu.

"Your Excellency, seeking aid from within the country is no problem, but placing your hopes on the Mughal Empire is likely to be quite problematic."

I have spoken with the Dutch representatives, and they do not have a high assessment of the Mughal Empire's strength.

The Dutch were the first to develop the subcontinent, and their understanding of the Mughal Empire was far greater than ours.

Antonio couldn't help but remind him.

It's fine to plot and instigate a war between two great empires from behind the scenes, but it's dangerous to place all your hopes on this war.

The difference in power between empires is greater than the difference between a person and a dog.

Misjudging the strength of both sides will severely affect their strategic judgment, and the resulting political consequences will undoubtedly be disastrous.

"Antonio, the Dutchman's prediction may not be so accurate."

The previous report by the Portuguese estimating the overall strength of the Great Yu Empire serves as the best negative example.

Not to mention the entire Great Yu Empire, the military strength of just the Annam Protectorate alone is several times stronger than the Great Yu Empire as they estimated.

In the European world, the kingdom had poor relations with both of them.

It is entirely possible to try to induce us to make strategic mistakes using a flawed strength assessment report.

Kingston, standing to the side, retorted.

In recent years, the Kingdom of Spain's diplomacy has been a complete mess.

Not only were their two younger brothers, Portugal and the Netherlands, at odds with them, but their neighbor France and Britain, across the sea, were also their enemies.

Over the past few decades, Spain has had numerous wars with these countries.

The so-called Five Nations Alliance is purely a rhetoric to deceive the Burmese.

The brief alliance was all due to military pressure from the Annam Protectorate.

An alliance? That's impossible.

These colonial government officials alone could not influence domestic strategic decisions.

The rise of the Annam Protectorate did indeed pose a danger to them, but the local lords didn't feel it.

Even if someone notices it, they won't take it seriously.

Before the Suez Canal opened, ships traveling from Southeast Asia to Europe had to make a long detour around the African continent.

The vast distance served as the best strategic barrier for both sides.

The rival, the Great Yu Empire, at most seized their colonies in Asia, but did not threaten their foundation.

However, if the competition on the European continent fails, it can be truly devastating.

Regardless of the European country, in its current strategic decision-making, the priority is always its own European territory.

"The Dutch might indeed deceive us on other issues, but the situation is different now. The southward expansion of the Great Yu Empire not only threatens our interests but also seriously damages the interests of the Dutch."

Providing us with incorrect information will not do them any good.

Even the erroneous intelligence provided by the Portuguese earlier may not have been intentionally misleading us.

It should be noted that as the overseas colonial movement progressed smoothly, officials in the various colonial governments developed an air of arrogance and overconfidence.

Countries outside of Europe were considered uncivilized natives in our eyes.

It is entirely possible to view people with prejudice and underestimate the enemy's military strength.

Several years ago, all countries' assessments of the military strength of the Annam Protectorate were seriously inaccurate.

Having experienced it firsthand, the Dutch would certainly have learned a lesson when assessing the military strength of the Mughal Empire.

Antonio couldn't help but defend himself.

When it involves everyone's common interests, betraying your teammates is betraying yourself.

These European colonists were arrogant, but the Yu Dynasty people on the other side were even more arrogant.

In the official documents of Dayu, they didn't even bother to distinguish which country they were from, simply referring to them as "Western Barbarians".

The general public's attitude was similar, regarding them as Western barbarians.

Missionaries sent out elsewhere could gain a group of believers, but here they found it difficult to make any progress.

It wasn't due to resistance from local religions, but simply because the literati looked down on European civilization.

Occasionally, if a few believers are misled, the local clan will intervene.

There was no other way; the monotheistic practices had severely impacted the local clan culture.

If everyone believes in gods, and no one offers incense to their ancestors, then the bond that holds the clan together will be gone.

In the eyes of the older generation, the actions of these missionaries were tantamount to cutting off their own future lineage.

These people happen to hold the power of social discourse.

Not long after the Western missionaries began their missionary work, they became a cult that was explicitly prohibited by the Da Yu government.

So much so that if they wanted to survive in the Great Yu Empire, they had to take a roundabout route, attracting people with European anecdotes and scientific knowledge.

Unfortunately, these things didn't work very well either.

These basic scientific and technological knowledge were also recorded in the textbooks of the Annam Protectorate.

Much of what they said contradicted their own statements.

After all, in Europe, because of the presence of the Church, scientific research that conflicted with religion was punishable by being burned at the stake.

In the Great Yu Empire, the scholar-officials would at most complain about these "strange and frivolous skills," considering them a waste of time and energy.

Whether you believe their research findings or not is another matter, but at least the researchers won't be in any danger, and no one will come looking for trouble.

In Annam Protectorate, significant achievements could lead to the granting of an official position.

The number of believers was small, but the number of missionaries who remained was quite large.

Compared to other regions at the same time, the Great Yu Empire in those days was definitely a beacon of civilization.

The level of comfort in their lives is far higher than in other civilizations.

……

"Alright, you two."

There's no need to argue about this.

Regardless of whether the Dutch assessment is accurate, we must do everything in our power to curb the expansion of the Great Yu Empire.

The Burmese want to form an anti-Yu alliance, so let's give them a hand.

"Use our fleet to send their mission to Japan and Liaodong, so they can lobby the forces hostile to Dayu."

Seeing the two arguing endlessly, Rolf immediately made the decision.

In fact, he had long ago considered lobbying Asian countries to jointly form an anti-Yu alliance.

However, this idea didn't last long before he abandoned it.

On the one hand, the countries are too far apart to form a cohesive force.

The alliance is only verbal; in practice, everyone still has to fight their own battles, which is meaningless.

On the other hand, the Great Yu Empire is not to be trifled with. Once the news of their leading the formation of the anti-Yu alliance is leaked, the enemy will soon be at the gates of the city.

Regardless of whether the anti-Yu campaign ultimately succeeds, he, as the Governor-General of Luzon, will become a sacrifice.

……

Yong'an Prefecture.

These days, the Great Yu Empire is a golden brand in Southeast Asia.

Attracted by the culture of Dayu, countless princes and nobles from various countries wanted to join Dayu.

The actions of the Kingdom of Burma and the European colonists had only just begun when they were leaked by an inside source.

"The donkey of Guizhou has exhausted its tricks!"

Looking at the anti-Yu alliance plan in his hand, Li Mu smiled and sighed.

He had initially worried that after taking over the Kingdom of Burma, the Annam Protectorate's war machine would be forced to stop.

In hindsight, it was all unnecessary worry.

He doesn't need to actively seek out opponents; they will come to him.

The anti-Yu alliance sounds impressive, with enemies on all sides, strategically encircling the Great Yu Empire.

Anyone with a basic understanding of geography knows that this encirclement of Dayu is actually a circle.

No matter how powerful the Tatars, Guifangs, and Oirats in the north were, they could only beat up the Dayu, and couldn't reach the Annam Protectorate.

Not to mention the several khanates in Central Asia, the rebels currently occupying the Western Regions are still the main force.

Even if the Japanese to the east don't come out to cause trouble, Li Mu is prepared to retaliate against them.

The main reason for the delay in taking action is that there are too many easy targets around us, and there is no need to rush into something difficult.

From a holistic perspective, present-day Japan is like the mine of the Great Yu Dynasty.

Through import and export trade, Dayu exchanged high-value-added products for large amounts of gold and silver from the local area.

As for the occasional raids by Japanese pirates, a little thought reveals that powerful families were behind them.

Since the Jiangnan gentry were brutally beaten, and without the cooperation of local bullies, the Japanese pirates have disappeared from the southeast coast.

If they continued to behave themselves as miners and dumping grounds for goods, Li Mu would feel embarrassed to lay a hand on them.

If the Burmese and Westerners succeed in their plan and drag Japan into the war, Li Mu wouldn't mind helping them along the way.

"My lord, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!"

"With the surrounding vassal states besieging Dayu, the Han dynasty is in grave danger and needs heroic figures to turn the tide."

If the Great Yu Empire collapses, then heroes from all over the world will vie for supremacy…

"Stop!"

"The Li family has been favored by the Emperor for generations; how could they harbor such rebellious thoughts!"

Before Lan Linjie could finish speaking, Li Mu immediately reprimanded him.

Some things are better left unsaid; you should never say them aloud.

As for taking his place, that can wait until the collapse of the Great Yu Empire. Until then, he is a loyal subject of the Great Yu Dynasty.

Emperor Gaozu of Han was 48 years old when he started his rebellion against Qin. He had already established a vast empire when he was only in his thirties, so there was no need for him to rush things.

(End of this chapter)