Imperial Master of the Ming Dynasty

"Yes!" Everyone clasped their fists and saluted.

This troop dispatch was quickly finalized. In addition to the imperial guards stationed in the royal capital to prevent accidents, Luzon's army assembled a total of more than 50,000 people, setting off from different territories, all with clear goals. Manila where the army is located.

The so-called "separate advance and combined attack" is not entirely based on the flag, but there are actual considerations in it. One is that Manila is a port city, which means that all roads must eventually go around the seaside; Secondly, the road traffic situation in Luzon in this era is really problematic. They are basically dirt roads, and they have to pass through mountainous areas in the middle. They are really not that flat and open, which means that each road cannot maintain a large width. The scale of the march, otherwise the fighter plane will be greatly delayed.

As for the four princes leading the troops separately, it is actually an assessment and a helpless move in a certain sense. The actual situation is here. If they are not separated, "brothers, friends and brothers" may start to appear on the road.

Moreover, according to the military system of Luzon, each major tribe has great autonomy. No one can say how many troops can be assembled to form a coalition in the end. This will also involve the princes, in-laws, etc. whom they support. factor.

Therefore, messengers are constantly passing news, and there are many tribes within a few hundred miles around Manila, who are also ready to move. Although they cannot fight against the Ming army alone, because the frequency of wars is not high, and the hydrological climate here is quite unique, Each tribe can have a relatively rich family fortune without working too hard. In this way, it is not unacceptable to send troops to fight for the spoils of war at their own expense.

The commander-in-chief of the coalition forces was appointed as the prime minister by the King of Luzon. In fact, although the King of Luzon also felt that this battle was not easy to fight and was not so optimistic, there was nothing he could do. Now due to the sudden intervention of the Ming army, After a kick, the domestic situation in Luzon has become extremely serious. In addition, all parties are taking advantage of the opportunity to cause trouble, so he must show decisive fighting courage.

——————

On the transport ship of the Ming Army, the soldiers of the Ming Army were also very busy. The ship was docked on the sea like a giant, constantly transporting various supplies. The actual situation was that when Luzon decided to send troops , the Ming army was also busy preparing to send troops.

This is not because of the centuries-old cultivation of divine synchronicity, but because the intelligence network of the Manila Han Chinese Chamber of Commerce has worked.

It may be unbelievable to say it, but the actual situation is that for the size of a country, Luzon's intelligence network is not even as good as that of the Han immigrants.

The reason is also very simple. In addition to the fact that the Luzon Kingdom itself is in a state of transition from a slave society to a feudal society and the administrative organization is inefficient, businessmen have a natural advantage in collecting intelligence. In particular, the Han Chinese Chamber of Commerce in Manila is the leader of almost all Distributors of imported and exported goods. This means that in addition to the re-export trade, they will not only purchase specialties in Luzon, but also transport some of the goods to large and small towns in Luzon for sale. The construction of the trade network is In a sense, it is equivalent to the construction of an information network.

Although this information network is gradually shrinking and weakening with the advent of the war, it still has a pretty good effect.

"Reporting to the prince, our scouts have also confirmed that Luzon's army has been dispatched. It is relatively large, with a total of about 50,000 people. It is divided into four marches, and troops from the native tribes are constantly joining along the way. .”

As soon as Zhu Youhui handed the letter in his hand to the soldier next to him, he frowned slightly when he heard the news.

The camps and strongholds they built in Manila were all built not far from the shoal. This was because of the importance they attached to Manila Harbor. Part of this harbor was classified as a military restricted area of ​​the Ming army and belonged to a separate military port area. On the other hand, The warships parked in the port and their artillery fire can also cover the Ming army stationed on the shore. If something happens, it is equivalent to many more semi-fixed forts.

The Ming army built a series of fortifications and positions here in Manila, and there were also sentries specially responsible for using hot-air balloons to watch and guard. It can be said that it is impregnable, and once the Luzon army appears around, it will be discovered.

It can be said that at least it is invincible. This also reflects the professional quality of the ocean-going fleet. Anything can happen overseas and any situation can be encountered. We always consider the worst direction. .

But this time the King of Luzon actually dared to risk sending troops, which also showed that the Ming army did not have much advantage on paper. After all, judging from the comparison of numbers, this was a game that A had already finished in the past.

But after reconfirming the authenticity of the intelligence, Zhu Youyi made the decision to take the initiative without hesitation and reported it to Zheng He, the commander-in-chief of the fleet.

"Tell me your plan."

"Let him come in any direction, I will only go all the way. If you want to kill a snake, you have to hit it seven inches!" Zhu Youyao said with a ruthless look on his face.

After hearing this, Zheng He said, "But we only have more than 4,000 soldiers. The other party may have an army of 60,000 or even 70,000 in total. The number of people is more than ten times that of our army. Are you sure you want to abandon the stronghold and fight decisively in the wild?" ?"

Zhu Youyi understood what Zheng He meant. What Zheng He actually wanted to ask was, was he sure he could eat them?

Zhu Youyi and Zhu Gaoxu were close friends, and they could be said to be both reckless and steady in battle. At this time, they nodded repeatedly.

"Don't worry, I have already prepared for this. We make good use of firearms, and the other party must know it, but they think firearms are still for defensive use, so we will use them in the attack this time. Anyway, we brought a lot of horses. The locals The Chamber of Commerce can also provide some horses. Even if they are not military horses, they can still make do with horseback maneuvers. As long as there is a time difference, there will be no problem in defeating these four groups one by one."

Under the premise that the enemy's troops are divided into four groups and attacked together, the enemy's march route is basically open and transparent.

The reason is also very simple. There are only a few roads to Manila.

As for the specific conditions on these roads, merchants have been familiar with the specific conditions on these roads because they have been running armed businesses for many years. They know where they are suitable for setting up ambushes and where there are obstacles.

And Zheng He also knew very well that the landing troops he had brought out now were all elite divisions, with excellent equipment, coordination, tactics, and discipline.

Zhu Youyi added: "I can guarantee that annihilating them in a short period of time will be a piece of cake!"

Seeing that Zheng He remained silent, Wang Jinghong thought for a while and said: "The plan of the King of Runan is not bad. The enemy's target must be Manila, so we will just move the main force here, leaving only a part of the troops and the local Han people." The soldiers of the Chamber of Commerce can just help the fleet to defend together. After all, we can't stay here for a long time, so we must win this battle happily not only to scare the monkeys, but also to force the Luzon Kingdom to surrender. They should also know that this head It cannot be opened. Once it fails, a wave of rebellion will probably set off, and their country will completely collapse. By then, their king will probably not dare to offend the Ming Dynasty, but will turn around and concentrate on maintaining internal stability."

Looking at Zhu Youyi, Wang Jinghong said calmly: "Don't worry about attacking. We will defend Manila here with the help of the fleet. Now the defenses have been established. Even if the attack is unfavorable, we will still be invincible after we withdraw." land."

"Then I have nothing to worry about."

Zhu Youyi smiled and said that this proactive strategy was actually a key point in the Ming Dynasty's victory on Luzon Island. After all, the Ming army had strong field combat capabilities on land. As long as the intelligence and maneuverability could keep up, they could fight quickly. Slowness is actually very simple, and this trick was summed up in the victory in the Battle of Jingnan.

At sea, although the Ming fleet is not afraid of any enemy, it cannot occupy a large island isolated from the Ming Dynasty for a long time. Therefore, when it is unable to go all out, it hurts and fears the opponent, and then slowly Slow nibbling is the way to win.

"Well, this matter is not trivial. You can take the initiative to attack, but the information must be confirmed. Let's send some more scouts to conduct reconnaissance to see what the situation is over there, and then make a battle plan before attacking."

Zheng He pondered for a moment and then said: "In terms of force distribution, we will send four thousand elites to defeat each one, while the remaining few hundred landing soldiers, plus some armed sailors, will stay in Manila to watch the local people. The Han Chinese Chamber of Commerce soldiers will prevent them from rebelling."

Zheng He made this arrangement naturally for the sake of safety. These Han immigrants are now the subjects of the Ming Dynasty, but after all, they have stayed in Luzon for several generations. If the war situation is unfavorable and someone plans to betray the Ming Dynasty at a critical moment, it is obvious that they will betray the Ming Dynasty. It is not difficult for them to accept.

As the saying goes, guarding against others is indispensable. From the perspective of Zheng He and others, they certainly hope that the newly established Ming Dynasty Manila Propaganda Department will stand with them in this war, but the same necessary precautions must be taken. Yes, as long as enough troops are left to keep an eye on them, even if some of them want to betray, they will probably have to weigh whether they can easily survive, because once they betray, the Ming army will directly hit them hard.

Of course, these are the same as building fortifications, and they are prepared for the worst.

In fact, for most of the officers and soldiers of the ocean fleet, they are actually close to the local Han people in Manila, because there are many Fujian and Cantonese people here. After all, they are now thousands of miles away from the country, and everyone is Han. , in this troubled world, the Ming army also hopes that there will be more people of the same race around them instead of aliens.

And this battle, win or lose, is a major event that tests Ming's prestige, and will even directly affect the radicalness of future overseas strategies.

Under Zheng He's nose, there must be no flaw in the Ming army's combat plan. This is also a huge challenge, so Zheng He's tone is very calm, but his expression is serious.

"This battle can only be won, not lost, and we cannot gamble with the lives of our soldiers."

"Prince Runan, there is a bottom line that you must keep in mind."

Zheng He continued: "If unfortunately we fall into an enemy trap or are counter-surrounded during a stalemate, we must break out and retreat to the vicinity of Manila, relying on the strong defenses here to confront the enemy in a stalemate, so that we can gain time and opportunity to recover. With strength, with ports and fleets, we can never lose.”

"I understand, please don't worry, Sanbao Eunuch!"

Zhu Youhuang took a deep breath, then clasped his fists and said.

As a capable general of the Yan Army, Zheng He also relied on military merit to reach his current position. In terms of actual combat experience, he is much richer than Zhu Youyi. However, at this time, he is the commander-in-chief of the fleet and cannot lead the way personally. The army goes out to attack, but it is necessary to give instructions, or nagging, or explain a few words. This is the experience bought with blood and tears on the battlefield.

Zheng He's expression became more solemn and he said: "This expedition, you must be cautious, especially before you have a clear idea of ​​the enemy's strength, don't act recklessly!"

"In addition, when your unit ambushes, you must pay attention to concealment. The opponent will be more familiar with the terrain here than you. You can miss the location where the enemy is most alert and where they think they are most likely to be ambushed."

Zheng He knew very well that young generals like Zhu Youxu's age were full of enthusiasm and fearless. Zheng He was worried that Zhu Youxu and others would do something if they got excited and their blood got into their heads. Irrational things happen.

You must know that compared with the Luzon people, although the current Ming army has undoubted advantages in many aspects and has rich combat experience, it may still suffer from boredom in this unfamiliar environment.

"The general will obey the order!"

——————

The narrow road in the mountains after dawn was already shrouded in thick fog, and the air was filled with a damp and cold feeling, turning the entire mountain range into a huge maze.

"More than a hundred miles further, we'll reach Manila, right?"

When the fourth prince of Luzon thought of the bustling Manila Port, which he had visited once before, he deeply understood what it meant to be "salivating".

After all, this is the gateway to the southwestern coast of Luzon and one of the most important ports for navigation and trade in the entire Southeast Asia. It has a vast sea area and rich fishery resources. Countless ships carry goods in and out every day. The wealth here , just thinking about it makes people drool uncontrollably.

Looking back at the long march, the fourth prince kept looking at it with a sense of heroism. After all, the army here reached tens of thousands of people. This was very difficult for Luzon, a country with a total population of only more than one million people. Said that it was already a rare scale of expedition.

Well, anyway, Luzon does not have complete demographic conditions and administrative capabilities. More than one million is a rough estimate. No one knows whether it is more than a hundred or nearly two million.

But the combined strength of all the forces in the country must be more than 100,000 at most. This is not controversial. Ten farmers support one soldier.

And these 50,000 troops are also the foundation of the Luzon royal family and the basis of their intimidation. They are led by several princes.

"That's right, we're the fastest all the way."

"Hahaha, it seems that I will gain a lot from this attack."

Hearing the deputy general's confirmation, the fourth prince's face gradually became excited: "If we can successfully capture this place, I'm afraid there will be no shortage of military supplies in the future. I heard that Ming Dynasty's forging technology is also very good, and the captured equipment and weapons Arise, my strength will be the strongest.”

The deputy general smiled and echoed: "You are wise!"

"Go, keep going."

The fourth prince said, and immediately waved his riding whip to urge the team forward. If anyone was walking slowly, he would hit them with a whip.

In the army of this semi-slavery and semi-feudal society, although this method is inhumane, it is indeed the best to use. It is completely impossible to expect them to have the same initiative as the Ming army.

This army marched very fast, because there was a deserted land along the way. Except for the occasional group of farmers fleeing from the coastline, there was nothing else. The indigenous tribes along the road had already received the news. Those who participated in the battle avoided directly.

At this time, a strange smell suddenly wafted over.

The fourth prince with a keen sense of smell immediately discovered the abnormality.

"stop."

After the fourth prince shouted, he jumped off the horse, then sniffed the surrounding air with his nose, frowned and said, "This smells weird."

"Prince, what's weird?"

After hearing this, the deputy general also came over, smelled it carefully, and said, "There is no smell."

The Fourth Prince shook his head and said, "There is a smell here. Why does it feel familiar to me?"

At this time, a guard on the side said: "This is the smell of cardamom."

Hearing this, the fourth prince suddenly realized that cardamom is a spicy seasoning. It is generally used to remove the fishy and strange smells and add fragrance to dishes. Not long after, the guards discovered that there was still a rice cooker buried beside the road. Mark of.

"Is it a group of businessmen coming and going?"

"It may be traces left by the Ming army."

"It shouldn't be. The Ming army has been huddled in Manila City, and based on time, these people can't make it. I think these people are here to spread suspicion and slow down our advance."

"But what's the point? We have an absolute numerical advantage here!"

At this moment, the deputy general suggested: "The canyon ahead has always been steep and easy to be ambushed. Now that there are traces of a team having a picnic, we might as well stop and rest first and send people to take a look at both sides of the canyon. Is there an ambush?"

Some people were speechless after hearing this, because just now they only thought about quickly capturing Manila City and snatching the gold, silver and jewelry in Manila City. They did not consider at all whether the Ming Army might set up an ambush in front. Even if the Ming Army had Many people don't know.

The fourth prince was a little hesitant. He, whose territory was closest to Manila, wanted to be the first to arrive in Manila so that he could stand out in front of his father. He had been marching at a faster pace these days, for fear that others would walk faster than him, and there was no road in the canyon ahead. It can be accessed directly, but people can only climb up slowly. This trip will probably take a long time.

But what the deputy general said made sense. After thinking about it for a while, the hot blood gradually cooled down from his head. He was marching too fast. If the Ming army did not choose to stand firm, there was indeed a risk of being shot dead. And this army of more than 10,000 soldiers , it is your lifeblood, it is better to be more careful.

So the fourth prince sent some natives who were good at climbing to explore the canyon ahead to see if there was an ambush by the Ming army.

After waiting for a long time, the fourth prince frowned and then asked: "Has any news come back from our scouts?"

The attendant went to confirm and came back after a while: "Not yet."

"If you send someone again, won't you be able to figure this out?" The fourth prince was obviously a little impatient.

Not long after, a sentinel came galloping over on horseback. About ten steps away from them, Lere reined to a halt, dismounted, knelt on the ground, and said loudly: "Tell the prince, there are mountains on both sides of the canyon ahead." It has been found out clearly that there was no ambush by the Ming army."

"good."

The fourth prince nodded, waved his whip and shouted loudly: "Order the entire army to advance at full speed!"

In the valley in the northeast corner, there is an open space blocked by trees. Around this area, there are densely packed Ming army soldiers. They have not slept for half the night, and now they are fully armed and arrayed here. Just waiting for a whistle, he will pounce on the enemy like a tiger descending a mountain!

"Your Majesty, the enemy's forward has passed through the canyon and reached the hilly area in front of our army."

Zhu Youxuan waved his hand: "Calm down, let the brothers wait a little longer, and then cut off the head and tail and hit the middle."

After a while, these young generals from the fringe clans and noble classes finally couldn't bear it anymore.

"Most of the enemies have come to the hills and have laid a dragnet as ordered. Is it time to take action now?"

"Where are their flags?"

"In the middle and rear."

Zhu Youyi shook his head and said, "Now is not the best time. Let's wait for them to go farther away, and then we can launch the attack."

"Your Majesty, this hilly land is not long. After a while, we will enter the plains. Moreover, the enemy is marching very fast. If we don't take action quickly, I'm afraid it will be too late."

"As soon as the enemy's Shuaiqi troops enter the ambush circle, take action immediately!" Zhu Youxu made up his mind.

Soon, the Ming army ambushing in the dense mountain forests on both sides of the hills began to move.

They had been lying in ambush in these hills long before, witnessing their opponents rushing in from a distance and pouring out of the canyon.

Under the orders of the generals and assistants of the Ming army at all levels, a famous fire gunner was already ready. As soon as the enemy approached, they would launch the fire gun and give the opponent a fatal blow.

At the same time, the Chinese army, which was surrounded by handsome flags and several tall horses in front, was slowly approaching, getting closer and closer!

When they arrived at the expected shooting position, within the effective killing distance of the musket, the musketeers' fingers tightened, and the lead bullets whizzed toward the enemy on the opposite side.

"Pfft!"

A bullet penetrated the throat of an enemy soldier, and blood spurted out. The enemy soldier fell to the ground, and his pupils were wide open before he died, as if to say, "How could this happen?"

"Boohoo!"

The rest of the crossbowmen also began to shoot the enemies.

The output of the Ming Army's firecrackers has always been relatively limited, and the firecrackers cannot adapt to all-terrain combat conditions. Therefore, the Ming Army's landing force following the ocean fleet is also equipped with a mixture of firecrackers and crossbows.

This was a precise massacre. The enemy troops were unprepared and suffered heavy losses, with corpses strewn all over the ground.

At the same time, on both sides of the hills, huge rocks began to be pushed down and rolled down the mountain, carrying a large amount of trees and soil with them, rolling faster and faster, temporarily blocking the Luzon army. The role of back-and-forth contact.

"The enemy is attacking, protect the fourth prince!"

The guards of the Fourth Prince hurriedly escorted the Fourth Prince off his horse and huddled behind the baggage cart.

Meteors pierced the sky one after another and fell towards the army of Luzon Kingdom.

Of course, these are not meteors, but shells fired by a small number of light field guns carried by the Ming army. Due to their smaller size, these iron balls fly faster and are far more lethal than the lead bullets of firecrackers. If they hit someone, , the lighter ones will have their arms and legs broken, and the more severe ones will be killed on the spot!

"Bang bang bang!"

One shell after another fell into the crowd, and one enemy soldier after another was killed and injured, and they screamed in misery.

Seeing this, the fourth prince, who usually enjoyed killing and hunting, turned pale.

Not only the fourth prince, many people were stunned on the spot, looking at the corpses falling all around, their heads were a little blurred. The Ming army's firearms were so powerful!

The weapons were all out of date, so any performance that shocked the enemy would not be surprising. The mules, horses and livestock accompanying the Luzon army were frightened and ran around, further exacerbating the chaos of the formation.

After the fourth prince regained consciousness, he realized that he was covered in blood, but the pain was not strong. It was probably someone else's, and more than half of his bodyguards were damaged. Even his deputy almost lost his life. Fortunately, at the critical moment Was rescued.

Seeing everyone dumbfounded and at a loss, the fourth prince couldn't help but cursed angrily: "Why are you still standing still? Come on, fight back quickly! Let the troops in front and behind come to support us!"

This sentence finally woke up these sluggish generals. Under the command of the generals shouting loudly, whether the flags really had an effect on the chaotic battlefield or it was instinctive, in short, they were stunned by the ambush. The indigenous soldiers of the Luzon Army picked up the bows and arrows that fell under their feet and began to fight back.

However, the gunmen and archers of the Ming army were not slow to react and immediately launched a counterattack, and the two sides started fighting back and forth.

Screams continued to sound. Compared with the Ming army, the shooting skills of these enemy troops were simply inferior. In one round of shooting, more than 300 people were killed.

In fact, the soldiers of Luzon State were panicked. They seriously lacked large-scale combat experience. At this time, they had no idea which direction the enemy was focusing on attacking, and who was hiding where to secretly attack. They could only blindly attack Fighting back from all directions, but how accurate is this?

"Fire! Fire!"

"Shoot!"

"Puff, puff——"

Amidst the dull loud noises, lead bullets tore apart the soldiers' bodies, and blood spattered.

Within a moment, the Luzon soldiers who dared to approach and fight back were all killed by the Ming army's match-rope guns. They didn't even have a chance to react. Each and every one of them was too dead to die.

As a result, the support capabilities of the remaining archers suddenly weakened sharply, and the soldiers of Luzon, who lacked long-range firepower, suddenly became more frightened.

No matter who they are, they are just ordinary people. Even most of them do not even have basic personal freedoms. They are still slaves belonging to princes and lords at all levels below. On weekdays, for slave owners or feudal owners, Their lives are not that precious, but this does not mean that they are not afraid of death.

However, people still have brains. After realizing that something was wrong, they simply threw away their weapons and ran away immediately. At this time, the numerically inferior Ming army could not take care of these deserted Luzon natives.

"Boom! Boom!"

A deafening sound of war drums suddenly sounded, awakening the natives of Luzon who were still at a loss.

"Woooooo~~"

The trumpet sounded the prelude to the battle.

The Ming army infantry reinforcements from the valley area fluttered their war flags. As the horn sounds became faster and more harsh, a strong chilling atmosphere filled the entire battlefield.

"Kill!"

A cry of killing resounded across the sky, and the Ming army began a mass charge.

The infantry group of the Ming Army was like a swarm of sharks smelling blood, crushing them all the way.

The collision of swords played the enemy's elegy.