Volume 1: Birth! Seven time travelers Chapter 77: Liu Dadao's Swiftness (I)
Just when the political arena in Beijing was stirred up by Zhu Youdong's departure to Nanjing, on the 15th day of June of the same year, in the hot south of the colorful clouds, Sichuan General Liu Jing led more than 10,000 Ming troops to the vicinity of Mubang City.
"Report, Lord Sun, Ambassador Liu, and Marshal! We have already found out that Mubang City has been surrounded by Burmese bandits. Since there are too many bandits, we can't get close to investigate!"
"Well, can you estimate how many thieves there are?"
"Well... please forgive me, gentlemen. The enemy's camp is really too large... but roughly speaking, there are no less than 200,000 people."
"Got it, let's explore again!"
"Yes, sir!"
After the scout left the tent, Liu Jing thought for a moment and said to Sun Chengzong, "Sir Sun, I have some humble opinions. Please…"
"Liu Shuai, please speak."
"Lord Sun, the current situation is very clear. The Burmese bandits are just as Lord Sun said before. They come very fast and there are a lot of them. Although the Burmese bandits are only slightly stronger than the local chickens and clay dogs , it is not advisable to face so many bandits head-on."
"I agree with General Liu that we should not face the enemy head-on, but General Liu's evaluation of the Burmese bandits' combat power, well, this is my first time in Nanzhong, and I don't know much about the situation here. But General Liu, don't underestimate the enemy."
"Haha, Lord Sun, please rest assured. These Burmese bandits like to bring hundreds of thousands or even millions of people with them every time they go to war. But among them, only a few thousand people can really fight."
According to the records of the Mu family, Duke of Qian, who ruled Yunnan for generations during this era, the Burmese army at that time was mainly divided into four parts.
One of them is the Red Barbarians hired by Myanmar, who are the most powerful in the Myanmar army.
The 15th and 16th centuries were the centuries when Spain and Portugal traveled across the seven seas. According to the Treaty of Tordelicias between the two countries, Portugal mainly developed in the Eastern Hemisphere, while Spain mainly developed in the Western Hemisphere. Therefore, in the first few years of the 17th century, you could see many Portuguese people in India, Myanmar, and even Thailand.
Unlike Spain, which had a native population of nearly 20 million and could swallow up colonies in large chunks and establish governorates of varying sizes, Portugal, with a population of only two to three million, could generally only occupy one point when expanding its colonies in the East, and then use this point to trade and gain profits.
Therefore, unlike the fierce resistance encountered by Spain in its expansion in America, Portugal encountered relatively less resistance in its expansion in the East. Moreover, since they brought various novel items, they were sometimes even welcomed by the local natives.
In 1579, the Portuguese royal family died out, and Spain took this opportunity to annex Portugal. At this moment, the Portuguese scattered across the East fell into confusion: their motherland was gone, and they were unwilling to be Spanish. Therefore, the exchanges between the Portuguese in various colonies and the local indigenous people suddenly became extensive and in-depth.
It was during this period that the Burmese king had a team of about 500 Western white mercenaries, most of whom were Portuguese.
Although this army was small in number, everyone was equipped with muskets and cannons. Therefore, it was the most powerful unit in the Burmese army.
Next, it was the Burmese king's personal guard. There were not many of them, only about 2,000. The soldiers in this unit were well-equipped with armor and weapons. They were also extremely loyal to the Burmese king.
Then there are the personal guards of the various state leaders, which are inferior to the Burmese king’s personal guards in terms of both number and combat effectiveness.
Finally, there are a large number of ordinary soldiers, some of whom serve the three previous troops and nobles and officers at all levels. Some serve as chores in the army, and some are responsible for logistics.
When fighting, each guard led some ordinary soldiers to fight first. When the situation was at a stalemate, the Red Barbarian mercenaries were sent out to launch a thundering attack. When one point of the enemy was breached, ordinary soldiers rushed up like a tide, and completely broke through the enemy's defense line in an instant.
Although Liu Jing was not a member of the Mu family who could rule Yunnan for generations, he had worked with Deng Zilong in his early years and had fought against the Burmese army many times. Therefore, he was very familiar with the combat effectiveness of the Burmese army.
"So, Lord Sun, the Burmese bandits are actually only powerful in those few thousand people. But among these thousands of people, the only ones that I should be wary of are the few hundred red barbarians. As for the other guys, hehe..." He stretched out a hand and flipped it twice: "It's easy!"
After saying this, Liu Jing pointed his finger at an officer in the corner of the tent: "Sir, this fellow is called Wang Yongjin, and he is now a lieutenant general. Twenty-one years ago, he was just a small soldier. At that time, General Gao Guochun (then the captain) led hundreds of brothers to defeat the camp of more than 10,000 Burmese bandits. He was one of them!"
The middle-aged man named Wang Yongjin stood up embarrassedly after hearing what Liu Jing said: "Lord Sun, hehehe... these Burmese bandits, as the commander said, only have a few capable fighters in a unit. So such an army has insufficient endurance. As long as we can withstand their elite three axes, the so-called huge force of the Burmese bandits will eventually become a burden!"
"Good! General Wang is right!" After praising Wang Yongjin, Sun Chengzong stood up and said, "In that case, I will issue the order."
"I will wait for your instructions, sir."
"Before I left the capital, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince repeatedly warned me that I was only responsible for the overall command, and the specific methods of fighting would be determined by the generals themselves. Therefore, when we arrived near Mubang, I would not care how to fight. I only wanted two results: First, it doesn't matter how many people are left in Mubang, but there must not be anyone with the surname Han (the Mubang chieftain's surname is Han). Second, the Burmese bandits must be beaten hard this time, so that after this battle, they will not dare to invade our Ming Dynasty on a large scale for at least ten years. But they cannot be killed. Because of the existence of the Burmese bandits, Siam further south will not grow rapidly. In this way, Mengyin Prefecture of our Ming Dynasty (which is adjacent to Thailand at this time and is Burmese territory in later generations) will not be invaded by Siam. As long as these two things can be achieved. I will not ask about other things. I will only work with Ambassador Liu to provide logistics for the generals and brothers, so that everyone can have enough food and clothing and fight for the country without worries!"
"Yes, we will obey your orders!"
…
At the same time, in Mubang City.
"Haven't you seen the Ming reinforcements yet?"
"Master, our last scout entered the city three days ago. He reported that no red was seen in the north. As for the past few days, our people can't leave the city at all. People outside can't get in either."
"Oh, this is really bad. I didn't expect that Anahualong would come so quickly, and he brought so many people with him! Didn't he leave anyone to guard his house? What if the Red Barbarians from Tharaniang invade? What if the Rajabudu from Siam in the south, who was born when the Buddha appeared in the world, attacks us?"
Looking at Han Gai sitting in the main seat, who was constantly worrying about things for the current Burmese King Ana Hualong, the various leaders of the Mubang below had different thoughts.
"Come on, pass the order down, get some stone bars, and block all the gates! To prevent traitors from opening the city gates from the inside at this time." After saying this, Han Gai sat down dejectedly: "Next, we can only wait for the reinforcements from the Ming Dynasty."
