Jingming

Chapter 373
The newly appointed Lord is extremely desperate, not to mention that Ji Weimin is facing the weakest opponent.

Among the three divisions of Meng Yang, Mubang, and Meng Mi, only Meng Mi only faced enemies from one aspect, but the enemies from this aspect were the most terrifying.

They followed Ji Weimin, made great contributions in suppressing the rebellion in Huguang, and recruited the elite of the Sichuan Army.

Although Ji Weimin only brought 3000 people from Sichuan to Yunnan, the backbone they built included Mu Shaoxun's troops, Yunnan elites, and the Inner Yunnan chieftain army who had been promised to expand some territory.

Except for Meng Yang's lair, which has the barrier of Gan Gaoshan, Meng Mi's and Mubang's lairs are all very close to each other, each less than fifty miles away from Tianma and Hannan Pass.

This seems to be a coincidence, but it is also inevitable.They originally lived in the gap between the Ava Dynasty and the Ming Dynasty. Yongchang, Nandian, Ganya, and Longchuan, the outermost areas of Yunnan, were originally the core areas of their Lucchuan Dynasty in the past.

Therefore, after having the opportunity, they conquered the Ava Dynasty and divided up the land of Myanmar, hoping to obtain richer land and wider depth.

Unfortunately, they didn't have time to digest it.With the behemoth of the Ming Dynasty on their side, they failed to establish a false king of Ava, slowly digesting these lands and building a new line of defense.

There were not many camps. After the front line was routed, Meng Guang and Meng Nai to the northeast of Meng Mi were captured one after another. This was the progress of the middle road.

On the west side of the road, Meng Yang's Jiangtou City was quickly defeated, leaving only Menglun City to the south of Meng Yang.

When it comes to defending the city, Ming Dynasty is not afraid of anyone.Therefore, only 800 people were left to guard Jiangtou City and wait for Man Mo to wait for reinforcements from the Inner Yunnan chieftain soldiers. Qu Zhinan then went along the Jinsha River to attack the small towns around Awa in the south.

On the east road, after Tang Shaozong left Hanlong Pass, he just marched to Mubang City and surrounded the east, west and north sides.

Damubang is located in mountainous areas, so the consumption will be considerable.

Tang Shaozong's level and the soldiers under his command were not at the same level as Ji Weimin. He didn't need to attack by force, he just had to keep Mubang's main force in his lair.

Because in the south and southeast of Mubang, there are naturally Che, Babai Dadian and Mang Ruidi to advance.

"Both Silun and Hanlie said so?"

In Mengmi City, the veins on Sizhen's forehead were clearly visible.

"The three-pronged Han army, Meng Yang's reinforcements have to cross the Jinsha River to come over, and Mu Bang has to cross the Awa River..."

"The reinforcements from Malay City, Zhigan and Ava City are here!"

"Taungoo is also fighting in the south..."

Sizhen fell down with a pale face, just as another round of gunfire sounded muffled outside.

Since the Ming army arrived at Mengmi City, they have been shelling.

I don’t know why they have so many artillery shells, why the artillery shells are not damaged, and why they shoot so accurately.

That's all. They were still cutting down trees outside the city and preparing to build more trebuchets.

Outside Mengmi City, Ji Weimin himself was standing at the artillery position facing the north gate of Mengmi City.

"How long will it take for the school to be ready?"

"General, you are calculating, you are calculating..."

Next to Ji Weimin were two cannons that were hauled over with difficulty by horses after Meng Guang and Meng Nai were unplugged.

These two cannons set out from the capital last summer and went through many ups and downs before being transported to Yunnan.

The latest guy jointly developed by the Bingzhan Bureau, the Ordnance Supervision and the Baojin Bureau.Its barrel is much longer than the original bowl-mouth gun and can be installed on the frame.

The frame is not purely made of wood. The wheels and body are made of iron bones, wood and iron sheets.The cannon trough where this cannon is placed is also somewhat different.The round iron wheel on the side can rotate through the gears and threads, allowing the gun trough and the gun mount connected with it to change the inclination angle within a limited range.

Now, the person Ji Weimin asked was holding a piece of paper with dense numbers on it, which Ji Weimin could not understand.

On the battlefield, a man magically appeared sitting there and counting nervously with an iron abacus.

The person who answered Ji Weimin kept looking ahead with his binoculars and asked again: "How much was the No. [-] gun loaded just now? What is the elevation angle?"

Ji Weimin was picking his head aside. He was looking forward to it but also annoyed: Why is it so troublesome?

However, the Duke of Guizhou, who had moved his troops to take charge later, said: This battle is about attacking the heart, and the powerful cannon must make a great contribution with one shot to scare the thieves.

So for this shooting table, it would be easier if the Divine Power Cannon fired two shots first and then calculated based on it. There is no need to use an ordinary Tiger Crouching Cannon with a gun trough and a protractor next to it to get the number... …

"General, there is no need to worry." Baihu, who was in charge of the two groups of cannons next to him, said while patiently accumulating data. "I was told to do this before I left the capital. Your Majesty attaches great importance to the data obtained in this actual battle. Not only the Shenwei cannon, In the future, the Tiger Crouching Cannon will also have a new model that is larger and can be mounted on a gun carriage. This time, so many artillery shells were transferred to Yunnan, not only to destroy the dead, but also to collect more data for statistics."

Ji Weimin had no choice but to mutter: "This is a war... If you want to try it, can't you go to the shooting range?"

"Of course there are more trials at the shooting range. But even though there is a firing table, it is a standard firing table regardless of wind or terrain." Hundreds of artillerymen spoke of specialized words that made Ji Weimin's head swell. "Gunpowder fires in different places." After burning, the power is also different. The shooting ranges in Jingcheng and Xuanda cannot measure the data of this southern Yunnan."

Ji Weimin just pointed at the powerful cannon: "When we get to Ava City, it should hit a few more times, right?"

"That's natural. Now this is the first shot to create momentum."

Ji Weimin could only wait patiently for him.

In this battle of the Ming Dynasty, the Central Army wanted to show its unrivaled power.

We won't need this huge cannon to capture the two small cities ahead.The first shot at the moment was trying to accurately hit the north gate of Mengmi City in one fell swoop.

Of course, no one is absolutely sure about this, so they are overcalculating here and preparing more siege equipment there.

Capturing Mengmi is not the end point. The Ming army is not prepared to suffer too many casualties here. It must first completely destroy the enemy's morale.

It is said that this was His Majesty's request to the General Armament Department of the Military Affairs Council after the First World War: in the future, if the problems can be solved with money and firepower, try not to use your life to solve them.

Now we are really spending money here like water, those cannonballs and gunpowder...

Si Zhen in Mengmi City was having a heated discussion with others on whether to abandon Mengmi City and retreat to Ava City, but they came across Baojing, which was extremely difficult to let go.

It was just a small town there. Although it was better than Meng Nai and Meng Guang in the north, it was difficult to hold on after Meng Mi's morale plummeted after giving up.But if even Baojing was given up, would Meng Mi take so much wealth with him or abandon it?

This kind of discussion didn't last long, and suddenly it was like two thunderous thunders, one behind the other, only a moment apart, so they sounded almost at the same time.

The master of the palace even felt that his soul was shaken.

"what happened?"

At this moment, the leader of the garrison in the north of Mengmi City turned his head and looked behind him with a pale face. What he saw was shocking.

The defensive military materials piled up in the open space inside the city gate, ready to be carried to the city wall at any time, were scattered widely. Many civilians within a few feet of the city fell in a pool of blood and howled miserably.

Another shell hit a little higher, and a two-story wooden building over there was collapsing.

Outside the city, Ji Weimin shook his head repeatedly: "I should have attacked directly! After all this time, I still haven't been able to hit the city gate with one cannon!"

Artilleryman Baihu was a little embarrassed, and issued revised instructions again based on the results of his observations just now.

Over there, they were busy fine-tuning the angle and reloading. Ji Weimin also said: "As for me, the first shot should be fired with this divine cannon! Later, the Caihu Crouching Cannon will do the same! With this movement, than It’s much better to think about something and score a goal with one shot.”

"How good would it be to gradually lose morale and then decide the outcome with one shot?"

"You have to hit the city gate and enter the city gate cave. Why are you so stubborn?"

"As long as the angle is correct, it's okay to enter the hole!"

The two of them didn't care about the mood of the defenders in the city, as if it was natural to break the city easily. They just had slight differences on how to enter.

In order to consider the range and power of this giant cannon, it has not yet been improved to the stage of using multiple cannons like the Tiger Crouching Cannon, so the rate of fire is much slower.

Sizhen finally learned during this period that there were two more powerful cannons in the Ming army's formation, which had previously been blocked by the Ming army's human walls and flags.Should I give up?
Before he could finally make a decision, two more cannons were fired almost simultaneously.

"Ouch! We really broke into the city gate!" Ji Weimin exclaimed.

The artillery leader felt relieved now and calmly ordered: "Raise it higher and shoot the next shot at the city gate tower!"

After saying that, Ji Weimin dusted off the shooting watch in his hand proudly: "General, you don't know how hard it is to calculate this shooting watch. In the future, if you can point out where to attack the city, what kind of deterrence will it be? The enemy leader must always be in front of the battle. Are you taking command? If they can only run away with their heads in their hands, why don’t the enemy soldiers form a mass in chaos?"

He was right. Now the general guarding the north gate under Sizhen had just seen those two huge projectiles go into the city gate hole under his feet. He felt numb in his crotch and was sweating all over his body.

Now, the Tiger Crouching Cannon still didn't stop, but he just felt like he couldn't stay still.

"Get out!"

No matter whether the next shot is to continue to blow open the city gate or hit the gate tower, he no longer has the will to face such a strong and accurate bombardment.

In Ji Weimin's eyes, the long and thick barrel was slightly raised again.

He shouted excitedly: "Kill them!"

As a rough old man who leads troops in war, who doesn't love this long and thick hard member?
……

The Ming army had no intention of completely annihilating the enemy forces in Mengmi City, and they were not even interested in encircling three or one of them. At most, they deployed some troops on the two wings in the north to contain them from a distance.

Therefore, after the North City defenders fled, a chain reaction quickly occurred.

"Let them bring the news here back to Ava City." Wu Wending and Mu Shaoxun looked at each other and smiled, "The people Silun left in Ava City and Si Hongfa will only place them in Malay City."

After Mengmi was defeated, the troops in the middle route were divided into the Jinbo back road to the southwest of Mubang. After the main force captured Baojing, they were ready to join forces on both sides of the Jinsha River at Anzhengguo City and Qu Zhinan, just north of Ava City.

The biggest problem with the Third Division is that they have not yet become a unified body with smooth military orders. They are three loose alliances, each with its own core territory that must be defended.

Now, Silun was blocked by the defenders of Jiangtou City in his hometown of Mengyang City in the far north, and Hanlie was also restrained by Tang Shaozong in Mubang City, and his escape route to Ava was cut off.

Only then can the following strategies work.

With such a great victory, Meng Mi's core territory was quickly controlled. The Ming army still only fired artillery in the middle to show off its power, and contained the main force of the three divisions.

After all, they are just the main force. Awa City and Mubang still have the strength to fight against Cheche, Babaidaidian and Taungoo.

That was their serious bloody battle.

But a bloody battle is good, and it will naturally consume them and make their hatred for each other deeper.

In fact, this battle quickly entered garbage time, especially after the Ming Dynasty soldiers pulled out the two horn city Zhigan and Malai across the river from Ava City.

The reason why this process took a little longer was just because it took a lot of effort to transport the two cannons from the east side of the Jinsha River to Zhigan City on the west bank.

The only thing that made Si Hongfa in Ava City and Sizhen who had already hid in the city feel safer was the natural barrier on the wide water surface at the intersection of Ava River and Jinsha River.

But how long will it take them to transport the cannon to the south bank of the river?Jinbo has been broken, and it is south of the Ava River. It is not difficult for them to establish a stronghold on the south bank of the river.

The Ming army stopped.

"What are they waiting for?"

Sihongfa couldn't figure it out, so he asked his uncle and Sizhen.

The two were not sure.Waiting for food?Waiting for the bomb?Wait until Han Lie, who has destroyed Mubang, comes to encircle the east and south?
Mang Ruiti also guessed the same, so he could only attack north crazily.

"If Mingren captures Ava City, will they really leave it to us easily? No matter what, we must catch up with the siege! It is easier to enter Ava City from the south!"

The young Mang Rui body was filled with both fear and expectation.

Now that he has raised the flag of fighting for the Burmese, he cannot lose the city of Ava.

"...It came so slowly." Mu Shaoxun was a little helpless, "Send an order to Qu Zhinan, let him leave some people to guard Zhigan, and return to Jiangtou City to attack Meng Lun. Send a message to General Meng Lun, Siren Bu Sir, the Ming Dynasty is not trying to eliminate Meng Yang. By capturing the culprits, the Silun family, Meng Yang wants to find a new head!"

At this moment, some of Jinbo's generals also fled to Mubang City after being "lost in a deadly battle".

Mubang City is very quiet, but news from the west is coming all the time, and there is invisible pressure here.

Meng Mi was defeated, and Jin Bo was unable to hold on to a partial army, and his more trusted general also died in the battle, but the generals who escaped were still a strength after all.

"What does it mean to not fight and not surrender?"

Hanlie was extremely anxious.

He could return the occupied Burmese land, recover the money he owed before, and donate a large amount of wealth, but as long as Mubang Xuanwei was still him.

But there were only four words in reply: Bearing a thorn and asking for forgiveness.

Isn't this bullying?How dare you?
But amid this stalemate, a few days later, a mutiny suddenly broke out in the city.

The leader was not the general who escaped from Jinbo, but he was one of them.

The whole family of Hanlie's "main branch" was captured, and the head of the side branch with suitable status was regarded as the head of the country with the support of the leader of the smaller tribe with a lower status.

Lingbibo Tang Shaozong did not lose a single soldier here, so he took the credit given to him by Wu Wending and Mu Shaoxun.

But this was just the beginning, and he knew what was to come would be even more difficult.

After all, Mubang City is to the north of the Ava River, and the Ming Dynasty wants to drive Mubang to the south of the Ava River.

His most important task was actually to physically persuade them to relocate to Jinbo.

"Just leave Hanlie's family to me. Don't worry, Master Wang will not enter the city now. But how to ask for seals later? After Master Wang captures Silun, Sihongfa and his son, and Sizhen, he will let you and others go to Yunnan." The ministers made a new covenant together in the city of Ava."

On the other side of Ava City, directly to the south of the city, two divine cannons were set up on the north bank of the river.

It fired only a few cannons every day, allowing the defenders of Ava City to appreciate its range and power.

They were the only ones firing, but so many squatting tiger cannons were also firing across the river.

It seemed like a show off.

But in fact, Wu Wending and Mu Shaoxun just kept sending people to shout.

"The heavenly soldiers came here only to uphold justice and conquer the rebellious ministers and traitors. The lands outside Yunnan were governed by local officials. Meng Mi's rebellious ministers wanted to be true, refused to surrender, and killed the envoys of the Ming Dynasty. The crime is unforgivable! Si Hongfa, the son of Silun , according to the Xuanwei Division of Burma, he pretended to be a divination letter, deceived the emperor and asked for a seal, which is an unforgivable crime! The Ming Dynasty did not want to kill in vain. Qiu has done nothing wrong!"

Under the invisible pressure and this psychological attack, Si Hongfa and Sizhen were worried about someone jumping back every day.

This kind of torture reached its peak after Hanlie was personally escorted to the north bank of the river, along with a second-in-command who was said to have been summoned to be Mubang Xuanwei Envoy.

"Can't father come to help?" Si Hongfa asked his uncle desperately.

"...Can't come, Meng Lun is also trapped..."

Although the Ming army has controlled the west bank of Jinsha River, there are still mountain roads to the north, and the news has not been cut off.

"The Mang Rui Body is getting closer and closer..." Si Hongfa cried, "I have already said that we should find a real Ava Chao clan to be a puppet. Why do you want me to come?"

Erwuzai's personal statement broke the last string. It was indeed that the generals in the city who had usurped the Ava Dynasty had no morale at the moment and were coveting the opportunity to reshuffle the old territory of the Three Divisions.

When the young Mang Ruiti took his recruits with simpler equipment and lower combat capabilities and rushed to Ava City in a bloody battle, he only looked at the three-star flag of the Ming Dynasty fluttering on the city wall in despair.

(End of this chapter)