Volume 4: Hot! The whole world is a warring state Chapter 617: Mughal Mobilization
The first large-scale battle between the Ming and Mo countries lasted for one day and one night. The Indian army suffered heavy losses in this battle: 30,000 old-style troops were either killed or captured, and almost no one escaped. The 20,000 so-called new troops also quickly collapsed after Shuja led 2,000 guards to flee north.
"General, we have completed the battlefield inventory. In the battle last night, our army killed more than 3,700 enemy soldiers and captured more than 43,000 prisoners. Among the prisoners, more than 4,000 were injured to varying degrees. Since our military doctors are currently concentrating on rescuing our own wounded, we will just let the enemy military doctors among the prisoners rescue as many as possible.
In addition to the personnel, our army has seized a total of 20 75mm breech-loading guns, more than 700 rounds of artillery shells, heavy machine guns... In addition, we have also seized 160 elephants, more than 2,300 war horses, and more than 2,000 horses..."
"Yeah." Nodding without comment, Liu Zhaosun asked, "What about our casualties?"
"Seven hundred and sixty-five people were killed and more than one thousand six hundred were injured, including 425 seriously injured. The military medical department is doing its best to save them."
"Brothers from the Camp Affairs Office, you have worked hard. How about you guys from the Royal Guards?"
"General, I have interrogated the prisoners overnight. We have found out that the enemy's commander in this war is the second prince, named Shujia. He has a total of 50,000 troops..."
"Wait, you just said that the enemy's total strength is only 50,000?"
"Yes, Admiral."
"Confirmed?"
"Confirmed."
"Hahahaha~ Guys, this Indian guy is really too weak!"
Liu Zhaosun had a reason for despising the enemy: a force of 50,000 soldiers captured more than 40,000 prisoners after fighting for one night. Such an army had no morale at all!
He couldn't say about other armies, but at least for the ten teachers brought up by the emperor, Liu Zhaosun dared to guarantee: If he wanted these ten divisions to surrender, he had to kill at least half of their combat soldiers, and then create an environment where they were out of ammunition and food, before it would be possible for the officers and soldiers of these ten divisions to consider surrendering.
MB's group of Indians are so weak. Can such an army be called an army?
That is to say, Zhu Youdong is not here. If the emperor is here and knows Liu Zhaosun's thoughts, he will definitely be shocked: How can the army before the Ming Dynasty be better than the Indian army now? At least the Indian army has more advanced weapons. Of course, the biggest difference between the medieval army and the modern army is not in equipment, but in discipline, obedience, and execution. Although the Indian army has 20,000 so-called new troops, it is still a medieval army in essence. Isn't it natural to win a big victory over such an army?
"Issue the order now."
"Please give your instructions, General."
"First, the General Staff Office organizes and coordinates, and the Camp Affairs Office, the Engineer Battalion, and the Guard Battalion draw personnel to form a special prisoner management team. It is said that the rainy season is almost over. Take these prisoners and livestock to the mouth of the Hooghly River and gather them in a small village called Calcutta. Let them build rivers and docks, drain swamps... Humph, soldiers don't need to be as kind as they are to civilians. I won't indulge them with things like only white people have to obey orders. Just drive them to work to death, and if anyone dares to resist, just shoot them with machine guns."
"Yes, I will obey your orders."
"Second, the staff clerk reports the details of this operation to General Cao. After the report, explain to General Cao that the rain has obviously subsided now, and I suggest that the army in Yangon can consider a large-scale landing. As for the assembly location after landing... The third order is that the entire army rests for three days, and then the prisoners are taken to Kolkata, and the field hospital and the wounded are left in Asansol. Hehe, that Indian guy actually left so many cannons for me. I would be letting him down if I don't take down one of their big cities. So, three days later, all the soldiers will follow me north to Patna. We are going to take down that big city and use it as the headquarters for the upcoming Indian expedition."
"Yes, I will obey your orders!"
…
"What did you say? A complete defeat? Fifty thousand people, completely collapsed in one night?"
On October 12, the Indian army bombarded the town of Asansol. That night, the Indian army was completely defeated by the Ming army's night battle. On the night of the 13th, Shuja led the remaining troops of more than 2,000 people through Patna. His Royal Highness did not enter the city at all, but only asked Governor Sayyid to replace the horses for his soldiers and left in a hurry. After that, he rushed along the way and arrived in Agra on the 18th.
Then he reported the truth of the war to Shah Jahan without any concealment.
"Father, I am not going to make any excuses, and I dare not hide anything. Those invading people from China are highly disciplined and have advanced weapons. They are a formidable enemy that we have never seen before! Father, we must use all the power of the country to stop those people from China."
The South Asian continent is geographically very closed. Therefore, even though the Mughals themselves were foreign invaders, they had dominated this warm place for too long and inevitably thought that the world was so big and they were invincible.
If Shuja had said such things to Shah Jahan at ordinary times, he would probably have been scolded and asked if he was possessed by a demon. But fortunately, Aurangzeb had previously told Shah Jahan many times with tears in his eyes about the strength of the Cathays and the high possibility of invasion. Therefore, Shuja's defeat at this moment became a strong proof of Aurangzeb's words.
The emperor was only 40 years old this year, in the prime of his life, although he had been in mourning for some time because of the death of his beloved wife. However, as the saying goes, one is born in sorrow and dies in comfort, when it was confirmed that the country was facing an unprecedentedly powerful opponent, the ministers in the hall clearly felt that the shrewd and capable emperor of the past had returned.
"Tivedi, my Vichiel, what do you think we should do now?"
"Your Majesty, although His Highness Shujia brought valuable first-hand intelligence, to be honest, we still know too little about the country of Zhendan ."
The so-called Devidi, translated into Hindi, means "mastery of the three Vedas". This surname tells us that he is a Brahmin: Yes, the Mughal Empire has implemented a policy of religious tolerance since Emperor Akbar, and both St. Paul and Hindus can hold high positions in this country.
"Then, wise Tividi, could you please give me some leniency and make your own judgment and suggestions based on the existing information?"
"As you command, Your Majesty." The gray-haired Tivedi stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, in terms of advanced weapons, the enemy is already superior to me. The only thing that can limit their advance now is that the rainy season limits their landing troops and supplies. According to His Highness Shuja's description, their vanguard troops are at least no less than 50,000. It can be predicted that once the rainy season ends, the enemy will have at least 200,000 troops landing."
"Hmm..." After frowning and thinking for a while, Shah Jahan said, "You mean, the Chinese who invaded this time are more powerful than the Telugu people in previous years?"
"That's for sure, Your Majesty. After all, Cathay is a country with a long history and a large population. Its foundation is by no means comparable to that of small Andhra. Moreover, compared with the invasion of the empire by Vijayanagar, the Cathay people have a huge advantage."
"terrain."
"Yes, your wise majesty saw the key point at a glance. Ladies and gentlemen, when Vijayanagar invaded, the Empire suffered several defeats in the early stage due to its inferior weapons and equipment. However, if Vijayanagar wants to attack the core area of the Empire, it must cross the Deccan Plateau. On the plateau, we have countless dangerous passes to defend. But now... the enemy is advancing along the Ganges River. Along the way, there is no dangerous terrain to hinder the enemy's advance."
"So." Glancing at the emperor, Dividi said, "This is about the safety of the empire, so we might as well do things in a safe way. Your Majesty, I agree with His Highness Shuja's suggestion to mobilize the whole country. There is no doubt that the enemy will not be able to march on a large scale before the end of the rainy season and the first one or two months of winter, but we can't find a strong force to drive the enemy into the sea. So, now there are two specific suggestions. First, mobilize more than 300,000 troops to concentrate in Agra. Second, suspend the construction of the Taj Mahal, transfer all the craftsmen and materials here to Kanpur City, and reinforce it into a solid fortress! That is where the Yamuna River merges into the Ganges. As long as we defend it, both Agra and Delhi will be very safe. And as long as the capital is safe, we can persist in this war. Your Majesty, the mainland of Zhendan is still too far away from here. As long as we can hold on for one to two years, the war will turn around!"
“Stop the construction of the Taj Mahal?”
If someone had suggested this to Shah Jahan a few days ago, it is estimated that this person would not have had a good ending. But what about now?
The Romantic Emperor thought about it carefully and felt that compared with proving his love for his deceased wife, his throne was more important. So this time, he nodded to his ministers and said, "Vicchir's advice is always pertinent and wise. Let's do it. Secretary, draft an order to have all the troops in Punjab, Balochistan, Deccan, etc., except for the minimum number of guard troops, to gather in Agra. I don't believe that we can't defeat the Chinese who have come from a long distance even if we fight with the whole country's strength on our homeland."
