Zhu Yuanzhang in the cellar

Chapter 274 Eat it together

It must be said that, as a veteran general who had fought on the battlefield for many years, Wu Sangui had already overestimated the fighting strength of Zhu Di's army as much as possible.

However, he underestimated the fighting power of Zhu Di's army and could not even imagine how powerful they were.

If we consider Wu Sangui's 100,000-strong army as having a combat strength of 100,000, then Zhu Di's 5,000 troops already had a combat strength of tens of millions.

This has nothing to do with Wu Sangui's abilities, but rather a matter of perception.

Modern warfare is no longer like World War II, where both sides dug trenches, fired artillery, and exchanged fire with rifles, machine guns, and submachine guns.

Instead, it has transformed into information-based combat and ultra-long-range, vision-based system combat.

The Gulf War taught us a lesson, which prompted my country to work hard and rapidly complete its information-based transformation.

At this point, the enemy can't see our soldiers; they'll only see countless missiles, rockets, and drones raining down on them, turning their army into dust.

Ancient people had limited cognitive abilities and could not imagine the eyes in the sky, so they naturally could not see the difference.

But that’s it.

Due to the lack of satellites, radar, and precision-guided rockets and artillery, this information-based battle was not actually very thorough.

But it was sufficient to deal with ancient armies that were still in the era of cold weapons.

The drones have a visual range of tens of kilometers, the mortars have a range of up to seven or eight kilometers, and even sniper rifles and assault rifles can take down Qing soldiers one or two kilometers away.

Under these circumstances, the Qing army had almost no ability to engage the Ming army in close combat, and naturally, they had no chance of defeating the Ming army in melee.

Just as Wu Sangui had predicted, the Ming army had already arrived in Qujing Prefecture and was heading towards Nanning.

This Nanning is not Nanning in Guangxi, but the ancient name of Qujing City.

When Zhu Di's army passed through Pingyi and reached Baishuiguan, they encountered resistance from the Qing army. However, they were easily routed after only a brief encounter, proving to be extremely vulnerable.

In fact, Wu Sangui did not place his hopes on Baishuiguan.

This is because this place is the Baishui Town of Qujing in later generations. The terrain is relatively flat. It is a town built between the mountains on both sides. In essence, it is a city defense, not a narrow pass with a commanding view.

As for attacking cities, Zhu Di and his men even conquered Guiyang, a city with high walls and thick fortifications. Compared to Guiyang, Baishui Pass was not strong at all.

Therefore, Wu Sangui was well aware that the location where he was testing the waters with the Ming army was not Baishui Pass, but Nanning County, the prefectural capital of Qujing Prefecture.

Nanning County has large plains with relatively flat terrain, which is suitable for cavalry warfare.

Wu Sangui planned to observe the situation carefully.

Having chosen the battleground, Wu Sangui continuously deployed troops, and in a short time, the defending forces from all over Yunnan gathered and marched towards Kunming.

Soon, the garrison troops in Dali, Lincang, Pu'er and other places received orders to return to their posts, and Kunming quickly gathered more than 100,000 troops.

This was only in Kunming. At its peak, the army that besieged the Southern Ming in Yunnan and Guizhou numbered over 300,000. The sheer size of the army terrified the local chieftains, making them much more subdued.

As for Qujing, Wu Sangui only brought more than 10,000 infantrymen and several thousand cavalrymen, and the main point of defense was still Kunming.

A few days later.

By June 25, the Ming army had successfully reached the outskirts of Nanning.

Zhu Yunfeng sat on a small stool on the tricycle; otherwise, his butt would be ruined.

The Zhu Cibei family, the patriarch, stood nearby, their spirits high, looking around as if they were surveying their own Ming Dynasty.

When they first started descending the mountain, Zhu Cibei and his family thought they had embarked on the road to death, fearing they would meet their demise.

As a result, the Ming army rampaged through the city, killing any Qing soldiers they saw. When they were bored, they would even snipe any Qing soldiers with gold-embroidered rat-tails on the city walls when they passed through a county town.

The Qing troops along the way could only express their anger in silence.

They actually had no idea what the Ming army was like, nor did they know their origins.

All they knew was that all the Qing troops who wanted to fight the enemy had been wiped out.

The Qing court has sent urgent messages to the counties in Hunan, Guizhou, Yunnan and other places, instructing them to keep a close watch on the enemy's movements and not to engage in battle with them.

As a result, all the counties along the way knew of the existence of this team and their invincible nature.

In an instant, the arrogance of the Qing army that used to bully the people was crushed, and they obediently huddled in the city, not daring to go out.

The Ming army's momentum was unstoppable.

After witnessing how formidable their combat power truly was, Zhu Cibei and his companions immediately began to have their own ideas.

If these people could really overthrow the Qing and restore the Ming, wouldn't he be able to become emperor for free?

"Ancestor, why are you so excited?"

Seeing Zhu Cibei's delighted expression, Zhu Yunfeng noticed that these past few days he had either been gazing at the green hills and clear waters with his hands behind his back, or occasionally singing in high spirits. He couldn't help but laugh and ask, "Are you happy because you're thinking about becoming emperor?"

"Well"

Zhu Cibei had long since accepted the current situation and couldn't help but say, "My grandson Yunfeng, when I ascend the throne, do you think I should grant a general amnesty, or perhaps I should sweep across the border and slaughter the Jurchens?"

"Snapped!"

Not far away, Zhu Di threw a spent bullet casing at him, hitting him on the head. He glared at him and said, "I am still the Prince of Yan, and you dare to call yourself 'I'?"

"Don't dare."

Zhu Cibei immediately revealed a fawning smile: "Our ancestor was mighty and mighty. The Ming Dynasty's empire was entirely due to our ancestor's protection. Our ancestor restored it."

"Fourth brother, what are you doing? Why are you hitting my ancestor?"

Zhu Yunfeng was furious.

This is their first-generation founder of Zhujiaping.

However, Zhu Di was furious and said, "What? He's your ancestor, but I'm not? Is he my twelfth-generation descendant? Can't a grandfather hit his grandson?"

"Forehead"

Zhu Yunfeng thought about it and agreed, since they all seemed to be ancestors. He pursed his lips and said, "Then it's alright."

Then, fearing that Zhu Di would get bogged down in the matter of seniority, he quickly changed the subject, saying, "By the way, Fourth Brother, it's already the end of June, and the Cursed Water Disaster is not far off. The Cursed Water Disaster is happening near Mandalay, the capital of Myanmar. I measured the distance on the map before, and it's more than 800 kilometers away from here. Considering that Myanmar has high mountains and dense forests, and the roads are difficult to travel, even walking twenty or thirty kilometers a day is difficult. I'm afraid we won't be able to make it in time."

It is now June 25th, twenty days since I set off from Hunan. The journey, which took me through Hunan and Guizhou to Yunnan, is about a thousand kilometers.

Their current location, Qujing, is about 800 kilometers away from Mandalay, Myanmar.

The cursed water incident occurred on July 18th, and there are still 23 days until it happens, so it seems there is still time.

Although the roads in Hunan, Guizhou and Yunnan are also mountainous and densely forested, they are not primitive wildernesses. There are official roads connecting the provinces, prefectures and counties. The roads are wide and the government has been responsible for the daily maintenance by laborers.

So although some roads are indeed difficult to travel after entering Guizhou and Yunnan, we can still maintain a speed of about 40 to 50 kilometers per day and reach Qujing within 20 days.

But it's different in Myanmar.

That area is a primeval forest. The summer climate is hot and humid, and there are swarms of snakes, insects, and rodents. The jungle is so dense that it's easy to get lost. Most importantly, there aren't many roads, so getting there would be very difficult.

"Well"

Zhu Di pondered for a moment and said, "Then it seems we need to revise the original plan and immediately detach a team."

"Well, the original plan was to capture Kunming and then send some troops south, so that the main force could encircle and annihilate the Qing army in Yunnan to prevent the problem of insufficient manpower. But now it seems that we really have to send troops."

Zhu Yunfeng took out his tablet and scribbled on the map, saying, "Previous data shows that Li Dingguo's troops are currently operating in the area from Kengtung in Myanmar to Menghai County in my country. At that time, it was called Menggen Prefecture, which was under the jurisdiction of the Yunnan Provincial Administration Commission of the Ming Dynasty. Bai Wenxuan's troops were in Mubang Prefecture of the Ming Dynasty, and later in the area of ​​Gunlong, Lashio, and Kyaukme in Myanmar. From the map, there is an official road that leads directly to Ava, the capital of Myanmar. Li Dingguo is too far away, so I suggest that a small force directly use tactical infiltration, marching rapidly through Qujing, Kunming, and Lincang every day, and entering Gunlong to find Bai Wenxuan."

"Who should we send?" "Let them volunteer. It's hard work. Although we brought all kinds of medicine and vaccines, it is indeed very dangerous there, and there is a possibility of them not adapting to the environment. Just let them know the situation."

"it is good."

Zhu Di then took out a walkie-talkie and explained the situation.

Surprisingly, almost all of the more than 20 households signed up.

Although this trip was indeed dangerous.

But this was a mission to rescue the last emperor of the Southern Ming Dynasty.

Everyone naturally wants such a great contribution.

In the end, Zhu Di chose Chen Gui and Yang Heng to go.

Their combined strength is exactly five hundred, and they had previously worked together on the rescue of Nanchang, making them a perfect match.

As for why they didn't send their capable general Zhou An...

Zhu Di felt that Zhou An was too ruthless when it came to carrying out missions. Back when he rushed to Shanhaiguan, Zhou An led a hundred men and defeated the Jurchen army of more than 100,000, leaving them with nothing.

What would happen if they went to Myanmar?

He even wanted to wipe out the Burmese royal family.

Sending Zhou An would probably mean he wouldn't get a chance.

After assigning the tasks, the drone pilot suddenly spoke into the walkie-talkie: "Your Highness, a large force of cavalry has appeared in Nanning County ahead."

"Send the video over so we can take a look."

Zhu Di took out a tablet, which connected all the drones performing their missions to form a local area network through a wireless bridge function, thereby enabling data sharing.

The drone operator immediately transmitted the footage, and Zhu Di pulled up the drone's view. He saw a large cavalry force stationed in the southwest of Nanning City, about four or five kilometers away from the city, forming a pincer movement with Nanning.

"This is interesting. This should be Wu Sangui's Guan Ning cavalry. They're probably here to test us. What do you think?"

Looking at the view from above, Zhu Yunfeng said, "We're too conspicuous. If we attack the county town directly, they'll definitely see us and run away immediately. But if we try to take them out, we'll also be easily discovered."

"Chen Gui, Yang Heng."

Zhu Di spoke into the walkie-talkie.

"The end will be here."

A reply came from the walkie-talkie.

"You two break away from the main force, go around to the west, and blast that cavalry. After that, you can head directly to Burma."

"Yes."

Upon receiving the order, the two immediately mobilized their own troops, along with supplies and equipment, and headed west to bypass the area.

The team moved on.

About half an hour later, they arrived at the city of Nanning.

The defenders of Nanning were already trembling with fear, but they still forced themselves to stand on the city wall and watch.

Zhu Di ordered his men to set up mortar positions, but did not launch an attack immediately. Instead, he waited for Chen Gui and Yang Heng to take their positions.

Meanwhile, in the southwest of Nanning, Wu Sangui, Zhao Tingchen, Lin Tianqing, and others were also observing the situation.

They certainly didn't have a drone's overhead view. Although they had telescopes at the time, which had even been passed down as early as 1620 AD, and Emperor Chongzhen had seen them.

However, telescopes were not yet used for military purposes at that time, so Wu Sangui and others could only rely on cavalry to pass messages back and forth, while finding a small hill with a wide view and a high elevation of about 100 meters to look out.

Stand tall and see far.

The area surrounding Nanning is very flat, and within a radius of more than ten kilometers, villages and fields can be seen at a glance.

"Report: The enemy is approaching Nanning, less than 30 li away."

"Report! The enemy is less than 20 li from Nanning."

"Report: The enemy has stopped about fifteen miles from Nanning and has not immediately attacked the city."

Upon hearing the scout's report, Wu Sangui frowned.

He actually knew that his opponent had the ability to attack the city from fifteen miles away.

Because the cannons on the city wall had a maximum range of about 10 to 12 li, but their actual range was only about 7 or 8 li, or more than 15 li, they could completely avoid the attacks of all artillery.

But how exactly the enemy could bombard the city from fifteen miles away was a mystery to Wu Sangui, who could only attribute it to the enemy's powerful artillery.

Can.
According to scouts, the enemy didn't bring any large artillery at all.
"Investigate again! Investigate again!"

"Yes!"

At least several hundred scouts were constantly on the move, relaying messages back across the battlefield.

But after a while, these scouts began to suffer heavy casualties.

They were too close.

If the distance was two or three kilometers, the Ming army would not be willing to use mortars to fire at them.

But they insisted on getting so close that they came within a mile to observe, so they had no choice but to be targeted by the Ming army with sniper rifles.

Less than half an hour later, hundreds of Qing scouts had died from sniper fire.

Then they brought back horrifying news—a small Ming army unit had taken a very long detour, using the jungle and hills to evade their sight, and had approached their cavalry.

If Wu Sangui hadn't sent out so many scouts, scattered across various locations, they wouldn't have noticed the birds disturbing the distant forest, only to be shot and killed upon approaching, thus discovering their presence.

"what?"

Upon learning of this, Wu Sangui was greatly alarmed.

Suddenly, his mind raced. He realized that the Ming army had been waiting outside Nanning City for a long time without attacking it, and he immediately understood the seriousness of the situation.

The enemy had clearly spotted their ambush cavalry force long ago and intended to wipe them out.

How exactly did they discover themselves?
They clearly haven't been exposed.

Wu Sangui was shocked and couldn't help but look up at the sky. He vaguely saw some black dots circling in the sky and wondered if the Ming army had some kind of sorcery that allowed them to control birds to look down on the battlefield.

"Quick, get out!"

In that instant, Wu Sangui shouted, "Sound the retreat! Sound the retreat!"

The sound of the gong immediately rang out.

The cavalry, who were ready at the foot of the mountain, were briefly thrown into disarray before turning their horses around to retreat.

At this critical moment, a series of low, rumbling sounds suddenly came from afar.

Immediately following were the whooshing sounds of air being cut, and countless small black dots landed among the distant cavalry. In an instant, explosions rang out, and amidst the roar of cannons, men and horses fell to the ground.

Wu Sangui was terrified. The method was too horrifying. He immediately turned his horse around and rode straight down the mountain.

If we don't run, he'll die!

(End of this chapter)