The Han culture is spreading strongly in Southeast Asia

Chapter 100 Qianlong's Fury
Low groans rose and fell on the battlefield, and the gunpowder smoke that had initially covered the battlefield had basically dissipated.

Corpses and flags were scattered all over the ground.

Occasionally, the human body would twitch, and the flag would be slightly raised.

On the city wall, King Agada had disappeared.

On the top of the mountain, the sun has begun to dim and will soon disappear.

Countless Siamese soldiers, with terrified faces and blood on their bodies, ran around in panic.

Whenever they saw a large number of Siamese troops, they would rush over, even if these Siamese troops were on the verge of collapse.

Just like a bird eager to return to its nest, but more like a moth flying into the fire.

When the fireworks died down, Zheng Xin looked around on the hillside. Of the troops still flying Siamese flags, only three flags remained: Phetchaburi, Tak, and Korat.

This indicated that of the six armies that left the city, only he, Zheng Tai, and the army of King Aghada's confidant Phaya Korat were left.

Zheng Xin looked around. If he wasn't on the battlefield, he would really want to cry.

Because of his three thousand troops, only less than two thousand were left.

Most of these people were from his Chaozhou hometown. Each of them was related to Zheng Xin, and many of them were relatives of the Zheng family.

Only in this way could these people not collapse even though more than 40% of them were killed or injured along with him.

"Xin, let's retreat into the city. By fighting today, we Chaozhou people will be worthy of Siam and the successive kings who have used us with respect since King Naresuan."

Chen Lian came over to persuade him. He had already broken four swords and his body was covered with wounds. Blood was still dripping on his clothes, and he didn't know whether it was his own or the enemy's.

Zheng Xin nodded and was about to answer when he suddenly heard a cry of surprise.

He looked up and saw an army flying the flag of Phetchaburi City running towards him. Behind them, a large number of Burmese troops were chasing them like crows.

"Everyone, follow me to rescue Brother A Tai." Zheng Xin quickly drew his sword and shouted, rushing down the hillside with more than a thousand exhausted people to provide support.

If they were to save other people, they might not be able to charge forward, but if they were to save their fellow Chaozhou people, these people would still grit their teeth and charge forward.

After another ten minutes of extremely chaotic fighting, Zheng Xin and his soldiers once again repelled the Burmese pursuit and rescued Zheng Tai's troops.

Zheng Tai's troops were in an even worse situation than Zheng Xin's. After all, he didn't have many Teochew people under his command, and they had fled with him from Phetchaburi to Ayutthaya. They had long been frightened birds, and it was considered good that they could hold on until now.

After the two sides have added up the total number of people, there are still only about two thousand two or three hundred people.

Zheng Tai was also injured. The wound on his left abdomen was the most serious, and his ribs seemed to be faintly visible.

"Ah Xin, I can't do it anymore. Leave the old, weak and wounded soldiers to me, and you lead the rest of the able-bodied ones to break out.

Remember what I said, we Chaozhou people should stay to show our loyalty and righteousness, and we should also leave to plan for the future.

I, your brother, am the one who stays, and you, Oshin, are the hope for the future."

Zheng Xin finally couldn't hold back any longer, and tears flowed down his face which was blackened by fireworks.

He held Zheng Tai's hand tightly and wanted to say something, but he felt like his throat was blocked and he couldn't say anything.

Zheng Tai looked back and saw his son Vijayaraja standing beside him. He immediately waved his hand.

"What are you waiting for? Help your uncle go! Do you want us all to die here? If you don't leave, do you want me to have no descendants?"

Vijaya Raja fell to his knees and cried loudly. He did not say that he would stay behind to cover the rear, because at this moment, there was no need to say such words. If one person could leave, the spark of future fire could be preserved.

"Remember, your name is Zheng Mincheng. If Siam ever regains its independence, we must take back Phetchaburi."

After Zheng Mincheng kowtowed three times to his father again, he and Chen Lian, who was standing beside him with the broken sword, helped Zheng Xin up and began to prepare to retreat.

Among the more than 2,500 people, brothers left while younger brothers stayed, sons left while fathers stayed, and those with mobility difficulties also stayed, a total of 1,000 people. They will form the last line of defense to cover the breakout of other villagers who can leave.

On the battlefield, even larger shouts were heard, and it turned out that the Phraya Korat tribe, which appeared to be the most powerful, also began to break out.

This is a good thing because most of the Myanmar army's attention was drawn there.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Zheng Xin, assisted by Zheng Mincheng, Chen Lian and others, led more than a thousand people to attack southward.

More than a thousand people wiped away their tears, worked together, and soon fought their way out of the blockade of thousands of Burmese troops. They headed south, heading towards the south of Ayutthaya City.

It is a Chinese community area, and there are about five to six thousand Chinese people still holding on here, basically all of them are young and strong.

As long as we get here, we can rely on the Chinese to hold out for a while, get supplies, and then consider a general breakout.

In order to prevent the people of Ayutthaya from breaking out, the Burmese set up three lines of defense in the southeast, where the best breakout point was. Zheng Xin was not sure whether they should force a charge.

. . . . .

An hour later, on the battlefield, the flags representing Phetchaburi and Tak City fell to the ground with a loud bang.

Almost all of Zheng Taihe and more than a thousand Chaozhou soldiers of Phraya Phetchaburi were killed in the battle.

At the same time, when Zheng Xin led his army to the southeast of Ayutthaya, he found that the place had been surrounded by thousands of Burmese troops.

It turned out that someone had just tried to break out from this side, but was intercepted and killed by the Burmese.

Zheng Xin had no choice but to lead his men to fight with the Burmese again before he escaped the pursuit and turned east, hoping to enter Ayutthaya from the east gate.

After finally reaching the East City, before they could even enter, the Burmese troops from the southeast followed them. Seeing this, the guards, who had been reluctant to open the city gates, immediately turned their backs on them and refused to open the gates no matter what.

Zheng Xin had no choice but to turn back and fight again, and with great effort he repelled the pursuers, hoping to persuade the guard to open the gate.

But the guard was frightened and refused to open the door no matter how Zheng Mincheng shouted and cursed.

"Xin, let's go east to Bazhen. The commander there is also Nazhen. Let's get some supplies in Bazhen first." Chen Lian suggested in a low voice.

Zheng Xin's face darkened as he looked at the top of the city wall with hatred. "This is the only way. After reaching Prachinburi, we'll head south to Rayong. The Burmese don't have warships, so we'll be safe once we reach Rayong."

However, what neither of them mentioned was that several towns from here to Bazhen in the east were all occupied by the Burmese.

If going southeast means breaking through three lines of defense, going east means passing through five gates and killing six generals, and fighting your way through.

After the bloody battle just now, there are only about 900 people left by Zheng Xin's side. I don't know if they can get through.

. . . .

"Yang Yingju, Li Shisheng, Zhu Lun, Liu Decheng!"

In Beijing City, the veins on Emperor Qianlong's head bulged, his face flushed, and his eyes seemed to be able to spit out murderous flames.

On the eve of the Lunar New Year, Emperor Qianlong received an urgent report from the second-class guard Fu Ling'an, which was sent eight hundred miles away, and he finally found out what was happening on the battlefield in Myanmar.

He really couldn't imagine that after the previous example of Liu Zao, officials from all over Yunnan Province and military generals from the Green Camp would dare to lie about their military achievements and make a fool of him.

Especially Yang Yingju, he is a member of the Plain White Banner of the Han Army, and is a confidant promoted by Emperor Qianlong. I transferred him from the post of Governor-General of Shaanxi and Gansu to Yunnan just to give me face.

Not only did they lie about their military achievements, but judging from the battle records along the way, it can be said that they were led by the nose by the Burmese army everywhere.

The reputation of the Celestial Empire was completely destroyed, and the chieftains of Yunnan Province were laughing at the imperial court. This was what made Emperor Qianlong extremely angry.

Liu Tongxun, the Grand Secretary of the Dongke Palace, saw that Emperor Qianlong was extremely furious and quickly stepped forward to persuade him, "Your Majesty, please calm down. According to General Fuling'an's secret report, although Yang Yingju, Li Shisheng and others have committed crimes of deceiving the emperor, the Yunnan border defense is not completely out of control.

At this time, Li Shisheng, Zhu Lun and other generals were still trying their best to resist in an attempt to make up for their mistakes.

If we suddenly punish them at this time, the army will be in uproar and the situation will be out of control.

I believe that the most urgent task is to select capable officials to go to Yunnan Province and, once the situation is stabilized, apprehend and bring these daring criminals to justice."

Mr. Zhang's political ability was very strong. Although he was being played like a monkey and was furious, he knew that what Liu Tongxun said was correct. He suppressed his anger and asked:

"Grand Secretary, who do you think can quickly go to Yunnan Province and stabilize the situation?"

Liu Tongxun thought for a moment and said, "Guangzhou General Yang Ning is a noble bannerman with a profound family background, brave and resourceful.

The new Guangdong land commander, Gan Guobao, previously served in Yunnan Province and was known for his integrity and rigorous military discipline.

This is where Liu Tongxun’s brilliance lies. He made two suggestions but did not express his opinion.

If Qianlong asked you and you directly gave someone a choice, would it be you who made the decision or me, Qianlong, who made the decision?
Moreover, due to his familiarity with Qianlong, Liu Tongxun had long known that he must have favored Yang Ning in his heart.

Because Gan Guobao had fought against the Burmese army in Yunnan a few years ago and did not have much record, Qianlong would definitely not choose him.

But after listening to this, Qianlong just nodded and did not make a decision on the spot, nor did he even express his preference.

This is called the unpredictable emperor's mind, which cannot be revealed even in front of a meritorious old minister like Liu Tongxun.

Seeing Qianlong deep in thought, his brother-in-law, the First-Class Loyal and Brave Duke, Fu Heng, the father of Fu Ling'an, who had sent the secret report, continued:
"Fu Ling'an also said in his secret report that the Burmese army that invaded Yunnan Province numbered no more than 10,000 people, and that they relied on their powerful guns and artillery to defeat our army repeatedly. The rest were inferior to the Yunnan Green Camp.

In this case, broadly speaking, the total number of Burmese soldiers is no more than 20,000.

The Green Camp in Yunnan Province had not experienced many battles since the Three Feudatories, and its equipment was not sophisticated. Most of its officers were corrupt and cowardly. Among the Green Camps in various provinces of the Qing Dynasty, it was considered to be incapable of fighting.

The Burmese could only gain a slight advantage in their fight against the Yunnan Green Camp, which shows that their actual combat capability is not strong.

However, a lion must use all its strength to fight a rabbit. I request that the emperor mobilize the elite troops of the Eight Banners of Manchu and Han, and then mobilize the elite troops of the Green Camp from Sichuan and Guizhou provinces adjacent to Yunnan Province, and appoint a general to lead the charge. We will surely defeat the bandits."

Well, this is a common problem in the central empires of all dynasties. Even at the end of the dynasty, this mentality was rampant, not to mention that this time could barely be considered a prosperous era.

In the eyes of Emperor Qianlong and the ministers of the Grand Council, the Burmese army was said to be strong, but in fact it could only fight back and forth with the Yunnan Green Camp, which was at the bottom of the Qing Dynasty. It was completely a silver-level player!
Then when my Eight Banner Heavenly Soldiers of the King rank arrive, they will be defeated in an easy manner.

At this time, Qianlong's most trusted Han minister, my perfect poet friend Yu Minzhong, also said:

"Your Majesty, I have observed the Kunyu map and see that there is a large country in the southeast of Myanmar called Siam. It is said that it has a large number of troops and is a vassal state of the Qing Dynasty.

Their ruler has paid tribute every year since the Ming Dynasty and has been quite obedient in recent years. Can we issue an imperial edict ordering the King of Siam to send troops to attack them?"

Yu Minzhong's original intention was to flatter Emperor Qianlong. He knew Emperor Qianlong's preferences very well. He particularly liked the feeling of being able to command a powerful country outside the region with just one imperial edict.

But he didn't consider another level. Qianlong thought about it and slowly shook his head.

"That's not right. My Qing Dynasty has millions of soldiers, but we still need the help of vassal states to defeat the Burmese. Even if we win, it will still be a disgrace to the Celestial Empire."

“However, what Zhong Chang said makes sense.

"I sent an imperial decree to Li Shiyao, the Governor-General of Guangdong and Guangxi, ordering him to send capable officials to investigate overseas, and to order Siam to gather the true situation in Burma and report it promptly."

　There will only be 5000 words updated each day tomorrow and the day after tomorrow. Lao Hu has to go on a business trip, and it will take him five or six hours just to get there, so he won't have much time to write.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)