Jingnan Strategy

Chapter 197 The Southwest War Begins
"Dang...dang...dang..."

In the twelfth lunar month of the 30th year of Hongwu, when the north was covered with ice and snow, the south of the Yangtze River was not much better.

The morning bell woke up all those who did not want to get out of bed. The ministers who went to the morning court still dressed neatly and walked out of the house and headed for the morning court.

People in each household also began to boil water to wash their faces and prepare for a new day.

For a time, the capital of the Ming Dynasty also had some fireworks.

In the Qianqing Palace, Zhu Yuanzhang was dressed in regular clothes, served by the palace maids. Standing beside him was Zhu Yunwen, who came to pay his respects half an hour in advance.

Feeling how the palace maids were dressing him, Zhu Yuanzhang also said: "I only saw the matter of your promotion and transfer to the Jilin Guards at night, which is a bit excessive."

His words made Zhu Yunwen feel nervous. He didn't know whether this sentence was too much, whether it was literal or whether it had other aspects.

"Sun'er also wants to promote these tempered military officers, and then train the soldiers in various places who have neglected training."

"As for Gao Xu, grandson thinks he won't care."

"If you are concerned, my grandson can write to him and explain."

Zhu Yunwen tried his best to create the appearance that he was doing things for the country, and even created a situation where he had a close relationship with Zhu Gaoxu.

However, everything he did was seen by Lao Zhu, but he did not choose to expose it, but said lightly:
"Sometimes if you do it too directly, it will make people think wildly."

"You can select three thousand-household offices from Shandong Dusi and teach the Zuojun Dudufu to transfer them to Jilin after the spring."

"In addition, the letter told the boy Gao Xu half a month in advance, asking him to prepare horses and cattle, so as to support the army and farmland of the three thousand households."

"My grandson needs to be taught." Zhu Yunwen's eyes flickered. He knew that this was his grandfather teaching him how to do things.

If you want to add sand, you should not add sand directly, but give the other party a reason why they cannot refuse.

Transferring three well-established Thousand Household Offices to Jilin City eliminated Zhu Gaoxu's idea of ​​breaking up military households, and he could fill these three Thousand Household Offices with his own people.

This matter is a matter of joy, because once special circumstances arise, Zhu Yunwen can transfer the remaining thousands of soldiers and horses in Jilin City, leaving only these 3000 people to control Jilin City.

However, Zhu Yunwen also knew the purpose of his grandfather's last words.

Tunjun, this is his old man reminding himself not to add too much sand, so as not to make Gao Xu unhappy, so he said that he has been taught.

"With these three thousand households, it will be much easier to deal with Gao Xu in the future..."

Zhu Yunwen narrowed his eyes when he bowed, and then put away that expression when he stood up.

After he stood up, Zhu Yuanzhang also put on his regular clothes and the Yishan crown he usually wore.

He turned around and walked out, and Zhu Yunwen quickly followed.

But when he reached the door, Zhu Yuanzhang suddenly stopped, turned around and asked specifically: "By the way, how are things going in Yunnan?"

"Yunnan..." Zhu Yunwen's thoughts drifted away, but unlike Yingtian where the weather was cold and freezing, Yunnan at this moment was still like spring all year round.

However, despite the four seasons of spring, a war is breaking out.

On the fifteenth day of the winter lunar month, as Xu Huizu brought Silunfa back to Yunnan, Xiping Hou Muchun led his troops to escort Silunfa to Yun Jiemu.

However, they had just stepped out of Tengchong Guard when they were ambushed by soldiers under Dao Gan Meng.

During the battle, Muchun personally led about [-] cavalrymen to fight hard. The [-] pikemen and [-] bronze musketeers who trained with him successfully broke through the encirclement and returned to Tengchong Guard with Silunfa.

After learning the news, Xu Huizu, who was in charge of Yongchang, began to mobilize the soldiers and horses of the Sandu Division who had gathered in Kunming to rush to Yongchang's aid.

He appointed Muchun to lead the entire army, and the governors He Fu, Xu Kai, Qu Neng, Gu Cheng and others were under his control. The total number of Burmese soldiers and horses was 300.

On the seventh day of the twelfth lunar month, the army assembled at Tengchong Guard. Following Muchun's order, the [-]-Burmese army arrived at the border of Luchuan.

Thick war clouds gathered over Yunnan...

In order to defeat the Ming army in one fell swoop, Dao Qianmeng could be said to have swept across the country.

When ambushing Muchun, Dao Qianmeng launched a nationwide mobilization, mobilizing 12 people and more than a hundred war elephants to garrison troops at Song Pass in Cuàn.

Although Luchuan has gone through civil strife, it is after all a country where all the people are soldiers, and the division between combat soldiers and auxiliary soldiers is very strict.

This time, a total of 12 people were mobilized, with a total of 6 soldiers.

For Luchuan, which had experienced a tragic defeat in Dingbian and had a large number of chieftains defecting, a population of less than 200 million could mobilize 12 people, which could be called a nationwide army.

After leading what he thought were [-] elite troops to the front line, Dao Gan Meng bumped into Mu Chun, who was leading his troops to arrive at Cuansong Pass.

Standing at Cuansong Pass, Dao Qianmeng looked at the dazzling Ming army flag, and the hand holding the knife unconsciously tightened.

As early as the battle of Dingyuan, he felt that Mu Ying had only used tricks to defeat the Dai people. Therefore, when he saw that Mu Chun's foothold was not stable, Dao Gan Meng immediately had an idea.

"Exit!"

"I will dye the Daying River red with the blood of the Ming army to commemorate the brothers who died beside me!"

"Roar!!"

Dao Ganmeng used the simplest words to ignite dozens of generals around him, just because all of them believed that the Battle of Dingbian was a shame for their Dai people.

"Marquis Xiping, they have left seclusion."

On the road in the valley beside the Daying River, when the [-] Lucchuan army came out of the border, Mu Chun and others, after receiving the news, immediately rode their horses to the front army and observed every move of the Luchuan army. No one dared to look down on them.

Although Southwest is outside the Central Plains, Luchuan is a Gu king raised under the Yuan Dynasty chieftain's Gu-raising system.

Even when the Ming army fought against it for the first time, it suffered a heavy price of [-] casualties.

If Mu Ying, who later took over the battlefield, was not extremely talented, I am afraid that after the Battle of Dingbian, the Ming army would have even lost Dali and Lijiang.

The Battle of Dingbian was the pride of the Yunnan Dusi soldiers and the shame of the Luchuan Dai people.

"Dong dong dong dong..."

The drums were beating anxiously above the river valley that was less than six miles wide. During the confrontation between the two armies, everyone was in high spirits, especially Qu Neng and He Fu who were following Muchun.

They are well aware of Luchuan's strength. Since there are many copper mines in Yunnan, and Luchuan's climate is sultry and hot, armor is prone to rust, so the armor of Luchuan people is mostly made of copper and iron armor.

Although this kind of armor is not as good as the iron armor of the Ming army, after all, they are a team with armor in the entire army and cannot be underestimated at will.

Moreover, although Luchuan's infantry were not as good as the Ming army in phalanx combat skills, they were very good at guerrillas, ambushes and mountain fighting.

In terms of training, Luchuan also has elite warriors who directly belong to the monarch, as well as servant armies from India, Burma and Laos.

These servant armies can provide a considerable number of excellent archers on the battlefield, and cooperate with the elite harpooneers trained by Lucchuan's own country to form strong medium and long-range firepower.

Even in the cavalry, Lu Chuan can be said to be very powerful.

There is no shortage of Yunnan horses that can be used in combat. Although the Yunnan horses are small in size, the Luchuan cavalry cannot wear heavy horse armor, making the cavalry defense insufficient. However, the Yunnan horses have tenacious endurance and are good at crossing mountains and ridges, making them more suitable. Jungle mountain combat.

"woo woo woo woo……"

Outside the Cuan Song Pass, the Luchuan Army was massive and powerful, and they continued to use their own methods to suppress the morale of the Ming Army.

On horseback, Muchun understood that once his own morale collapsed, the consequences would be disastrous.

Thinking of this, he seemingly led the five hundred cavalry out of the battle, formed a straight line in front of the battle, and slowly "pressed" towards the Luchuan army.

"The cavalry is only a few hundred people." Dao Ganmeng turned to look at his younger brother: "Simeng, you bring 3000 men and thirty war elephants out into the battle to frustrate the Ming army's spirit."

"Yes!" A man in his forties wearing copper and iron armor rode a Yunnan horse out of the battle, and then began to dispatch troops and horses to follow him.

Not long after, he led three thousand infantry and thirty war elephants into battle.

Five hundred versus three thousand, and the enemy army also has thirty war elephants. With such a gap, you can feel the pressure just by listening to it.

But in the face of such pressure, Muchun went into battle with ease, leaving only Gu Cheng and He Fu to oversee the three armies, in order to undermine Luchuan's morale.

"Dad, this war elephant is quite tall."

"Hmph! It's just a beast, wait and see how I kill him!"

Among the five hundred riders, Qu Tao, who was younger, sighed to Qu Neng, but Qu Neng snorted coldly and took out his own arrow from his quiver.

The three-foot-six-inch plum blossom arrow is five inches longer than ordinary arrows, and the longbow in Qu Neng's hands is also exaggeratedly large.

Such a four-foot-long bow should not be used on horseback. However, Qu Neng and his son were tall. As long as their equestrian skills were superb, they could stand up and shoot arrows.

Qu Neng's self-confidence was forged on the western Sichuan Plateau, so he did not take Luchuan seriously.

With someone as unruly as him sitting in command, the five hundred cavalrymen who followed Muchun into battle became more confident.

Compared to them who stood still, Simeng, the leading general of Luchuan, dismounted from his horse and changed his ride onto the back of the war elephant.

When the three thousand infantry were ready to attack, Simeng began to ask the two elephant soldiers next to him to blow the horns.

"Woooooooo..."

Suddenly, three thousand infantry and thirty war elephants began to advance, step by step approaching the five hundred cavalry under Muchun's command.

Seeing this scene, the bow and gun players in the front row of the Ming army had sweaty palms, and they couldn't help but worry about Mu Chun.

Soon, the two sides were only a hundred steps away, and Simeng seemed to lead his army straight towards the formation of [-] cavalry including Muchun.

Seeing this scene, Muchun raised his long bow and shouted: "Boys of the Han family, follow me into the battle!!"

"Roar!!"

His soldiers nearby responded in an instant, and Qu Neng and his son led more than a hundred forward cavalry to rush straight into the enemy formation, charging towards the most dangerous thirty war elephants.

"court death!"

On the elephant's back, Simeng was sitting upright with a fierce expression on his face, waving his handsome flag: "Charge!"

"Dong dong dong dong..."

The brisk sound of bronze drums sounded on the elephant's back, and the two elephant soldiers on the left and right each held iron javelins more than four feet long, fully prepared.When the distance between the two sides was less than [-] steps, the elephant soldiers started to charge forward, while the infantry of Luchan formed a formation, holding spears to provide sufficient cover for the elephant soldiers.

When the distance of thirty steps came, more than a hundred cavalry led by Qu Neng, Qu Yu, and Qu Tao continued to charge without changing their expressions. Mu Chun divided the four hundred cavalry at the rear into two, circled back to the left and right, and raised his bow at the same time. He nocked an arrow and began to shoot the soldiers of Luchuan.

"Shout!!"

The roar of the war elephant made all the horses under Qu Neng's command panic. However, before the horses could retreat, Qu Neng, Qu Yu and Qu Tao stood on the stirrups. With their bows and arrows drawn, the [-]-jin riding bow was just In a few breaths, four or five arrows were shot.

Strong bows and hard arrows hit the front legs of the three war elephants between the knees. The war elephants fell to the ground wailing and kept wailing. The elephant soldiers above were thrown off by the war elephants before they could react.

Before they could react, several more hard arrows were fired, and seven or eight elephant soldiers wearing copper and iron armor were shot dead by Qu Neng and his son.

Qu Neng was brave and clamped the horse's belly with his legs, causing the horse to go crazy with pain and charge forward.

Without waiting for the left and right Luchuan infantry to step forward to stop him, he rode up to the fallen war elephant, pulled out a heavy iron spear and pierced the elephant's eye socket.

"Shout!!"

The shrill howl of the war elephant before it died made all the Lucchuan infantrymen around him tremble with fear.

While their attention was attracted by Qu Neng, Muchun had already led [-] cavalry to the left and right flanks of the Luchuan soldiers and horses, taking advantage of the situation to launch an assault.

"kill!!"

"Javelin, stop them!"

Simeng was on the back of the war elephant, watching Qu Neng raise his gun and kill a war elephant. Before he could react, he saw Mu Chun preparing to break out of the battle, and he was a little confused for a moment.

Hundreds of javelins were thrown. Muchun held a shield in one hand and a spear in the other.

He swung his spear and knocked away some javelins, but more came flying towards him.

As he raised the shield, his arm hurt. When he looked carefully, he saw that the shield had been pierced with two holes, and the javelin was blocked by his arm armor.

"kill!!"

"Don't be afraid, the horse doesn't dare to hit you!"

After surviving the first wave of javelins, Muchun knew that he had passed the most difficult moment.

He dropped his shield, grabbed the reins with one hand, and the spear with the other and charged away. There were also generals in the Luchuan army formation who calmed the troops and tightened their hands on the spears pressed into the soil.

"shoot!"

To the left and right of Muchuan, there were more than two hundred cavalrymen, some holding bows and arrows, and some holding spears.

After rushing to the front of the formation, the cavalrymen holding bows and arrows began to shoot arrows at their faces, opening a loophole for Mu Chun who was charging forward.

Taking advantage of the flaw, Muchun rushed into the formation himself, opened the spear aimed at him under the cover of the left and right, and penetrated the Luchuan army formation in one breath.

At this moment, Muchun seemed to have arrived at the Battle of Dingbian a few years ago.

At that time, his father also sent the left and right wings of Luchuan in this way, and then the soldiers of Luchuan began to rout.

The scene like that at that time should happen now!

"kill!!"

Mu Chun generated strength out of thin air in his chest and stabbed the enemy back and forth with his spear, letting the arrows hit him without fear.

At the same time, Qu Neng, who stabbed the war elephant to death, was attacked by two war elephants sent by Simeng.

His war horse was pushed to the ground by the war elephant, but he turned over in time to escape. He turned around and threw his spear and stabbed it into the folds of the war elephant's skin.

The war elephant howled in pain and trampled his beloved horse to death.

Listening to the neighing of the war horses, Qu Neng took the strong bow and arrows from his waist and wanted to shoot the elephant soldiers on the backs of the war elephants.

Before he could take action, the war elephant was hit by arrows in both knees and fell down. However, the two brothers Qu Yu and Qu Tao shot arrows in time, creating an opportunity for Qu Neng.

Qu Neng dropped his strong bow and arrows, drew his sword, jumped on the back of the war elephant, and at the same time grabbed the spear that was stabbing him.

He held the spear steady with one hand, pulled the elephant soldier down, and raised his hand to strike with a knife, causing Douda's head to fly off.

The other two elephant soldiers were horrified when they saw this situation. They drew their swords and tried to fight with Qu Neng. However, Qu Neng slashed away the short soldiers in his hands with his sword, and their throats were cut in the next second.

Three people were unable to stop them, and another elephant died on the battlefield.

At this time, the Ming army cavalry who followed Qu Neng and his son began to take out clay pots from their horses, threw them at the war elephants, and at the same time took out the torches prepared in advance and threw them.

In just an instant, several war elephants that were about to attack were covered in fire and began to scream and collide. The 3000-man military formation was knocked to pieces.

Faced with such a situation where the internal elephant soldiers were in disorder and the Ming army's elite cavalry repeatedly broke into the formation, Simeng could not stabilize the army's position, and a large number of infantry began to retreat because they could not resist.

On the way of various retreats, Mu Chun met up with Qu Neng who had withdrawn from the elephant herd. After the war, the Ming army, which still had more than [-] cavalry, began to rush back and forth under the command of Mu Chun.

Relying on the tallness and speed of the Qin horse under his hip, he divided the various groups on the retreat and used mounted archery to break out and kill the enemy.

Such a scene caused the morale of the Luchuan army to drop, and Dao Ganmeng's face became extremely ugly.

When Simeng was defeated and returned to the formation, although Dao Ganmeng did not punish him, everyone knew that Simeng had lost his trust in Dao Ganmeng's heart.

"Build camps outside the city, build horned walls and trenches..."

Seeing his own morale drop, Dao Ganmeng did not want to scold the generals in front of the battle to undermine morale again. Instead, he chose to build a fortress outside the city and rely on the city wall to fight a war of attrition and a protracted war with Muchun.

Soon, the Lucchuan army began to cut down the trees outside the pass to build forts, while Muchun led his men to cut off the heads of the Lucchuan soldiers who died in the battle to build a Beijing temple to further damage the morale of Lucchuan.

"happy!"

"We killed 420 of the enemy's seven people, and we only had 29 casualties. It's so satisfying!"

Three hours after the war, Mu Chun took advantage of the surge in morale to command the army to build forts.

In the commander's tent, many generals in the army also shouted happily after learning that the enemy and ourselves were killed and wounded.

The Ming army won a victory and beheaded more than [-] people, which greatly damaged the morale of Luchuan.

However, with the strength of Dao Ganmeng's troops, they lost hundreds of people, which was completely insignificant.

Therefore, Muchun was very calm. He sat in the main seat and looked at the casualty list sent by his generals. He frowned slightly and said: "This Dao Gan Meng led the troops better than Silun Fa. Twenty or three people died, and all the barbarians were killed." The soldiers were actually able to fight and retreat back to the camp, making much progress compared to the Dingbian Battle."

"Indeed!" As a general who has fought against Luchuan many times, the 58-year-old veteran He Fu calmly agreed with Mu Chun, and then said: "This sword is obviously prepared for Meng this time."

"He has many soldiers and horses under his command, and he is powerful. He also has the support of many native chiefs, so food and grass can be collected on the spot."

"If we cannot resolve the issue quickly, but drag it out and let the situation get worse, the situation will be unimaginable."

He Fu and Mu Ying had been guarding Yunnan for more than ten years, and his words were still very convincing. Even Qu Neng and his son, who killed four war elephants together today, did not put forward any objections.

After all, Luchuan is a city-state, and its sphere of influence includes eleven jurisdictions including Mengpeng, Mengyang, and Mending. Its sphere of influence includes the central, northern, and northeastern regions of Myanmar in later generations, as well as about one-third of the country. Yunnan.

Under the rule of a native chief, there were nearly 200 million people who provided materials, manpower and material resources to Daoqianmeng.

Food from the plains in central Myanmar and the Longchuan River Valley can be continuously transported to Cuansong Pass. On the other hand, the Ming army, the road from Kunming to Cuansong Pass is only as wide as Yongchang.

Once out of Yongchang, the next 150 miles will be a rugged five-foot road.

Moreover, the Ming Dynasty had only vigorously carried out farming in northwest Yunnan for less than five years. It was obviously unrealistic for the prefectural and county health offices in Yongchang, Dali, Lijiang, Menghua and other counties to supply food and grass for an army of [-].

Faced with this situation, Muchun also said calmly: "Wei Guogong has dispatched 27 stones of grain and grass in Yunnan, and it is now being transported from Kunming."

"In addition, Dali, Yongchang and other guards also brought more than [-] stones of military rations. The two together are enough to support the army for seven months of fierce fighting."

"The difficulty at the moment is that our army is fighting as a foreign force and is not familiar with the terrain of Gaoligong Mountain and Ailao Mountain. It is easy for Dao Ganmeng to attack the rear grain roads, so we must fight quickly."

Muchun gave his opinion, but the mature Gu Cheng also bowed and said: "I'm afraid Dao Gan Meng won't give us a chance to make a quick decision."

"Indeed..." He Fu frowned and worried: "This battle is different from the Battle of Dingbian. This time we are mainly attacking and the enemy is mainly defending. Moreover, we are stationed away from home, so we can collect food on the spot."

"In addition, Cuansong Pass relies on Gaoligong Mountain and is close to the Daying River. It can be said that one man can guard the pass and ten thousand men cannot open it. If we attack by force, many brothers may be killed or injured."

The terrain of Yunnan is mountainous, and there are many high mountains, miasma and dense forests, and Cuansong Pass can rely on the terrain of Ailao Mountain and Gaoligong Mountain to hold on. It can be said that the right time, place and people are on the side of Daoqianmeng.

Although the Mongols had swept across the north and south back then, they still suffered a bloody blow in front of Ailao Mountain.

Even though they once swept across the world and drove as far away as Mobei on iron cavalry, beating the Mongols who dominated the world until they were as panicky as a lost dog and fled to the desert, they were still a little uneasy when facing Ailao Mountain and Gaoligong Mountain.

However, in the face of such a situation where all the generals were concerned, Muchun stood up and said loudly: "Now we go deep into the enemy's territory and fight with them. If we win, we will live, if we lose, we will die. We have received the Lord's deep kindness and we will repay you with success." Today, I have made an appointment with Ruo, and those who have made merit will be rewarded, and those who retreat will be beheaded!"

His every word was iron-clad and his righteousness made many commanders who were originally worried about the remarks of He Fu, Gu Cheng and others cheer up.

At this time, a figure stood out and attracted everyone's attention.

"The final commander of the Golden Tooth Guard, Wang Zhao, has something to report!"

A five-foot-three-four-inch tall black general stood up, followed by two equally black commanding officers.

Although one of them has much darker skin, if Zhu Gaoxu were here, he should be able to recognize his identity.

"Tell me." Mu Chun agreed. He remembered Wang Zhao. When Dao Ganmeng sent people to hunt down Silun Fa, it was this man who led his troops to block Shuiyan Pass and sent people to escort Silun Fa to find him. Own.

"The last general has been with Jin Teeth for a long time. He knows a path that can cross Gaoligong Mountain and can take thousands of infantry!"

"Really?" Wang Zhao's words made Muchun's eyes light up, and he asked.

"The general is willing to issue a military order!" Wang Zhao answered without thinking, making people convinced that what he said was true.

Hearing this, Qu Neng immediately bowed to Mu Chun and said, "Marquis Xiping, I am willing to send Quan Zi to go to the trail with Commander Wang to find out the facts!"

"Okay!" After hearing Qu Neng's words, Muchun also set his sights on Qu Yu: "Commander Qu, do you dare to take 300 people to explore the road with the king's commander?"

"Why don't you dare!" Qu Yu came out and bowed to receive the military order. Upon seeing this, Mu Chun also ordered Qu Yu and Wang Zhao to lead 300 people each to explore the road to Gaoligong Mountain.

　The swelling in my hands has begun to subside in the past two days. Once the swelling is almost subsided, I should be able to resume two shifts.
　　
　
(End of this chapter)