Volume 4: Hot! The whole world is a warring state Chapter 618: The Landing of the Ming Main Force
"I greet General Cao."
"Damn you Liu Zhaosun, aren't you a general? Are you trying to discredit me by doing this?"
On October 27, 1632, as the rainy season in the middle and lower reaches of the Ganges came to an end, Cao Wenzhao first led three divisions to land in Kolkata.
He and Liu Zhaosun were old acquaintances, and after joking with each other, they immediately got down to business: "This time, I only brought one Henghai, and the other two divisions, one is the Japanese division, and the other is the Guiguo division."
"Huh? Actually, they are all Japanese divisions. How come, with so many vassal states in the Ming Dynasty, the Japanese are more powerful?"
"Yes." Taking a deep breath, Cao Wenzhao said, "According to the original plan, you were to land as the vanguard in August, and then we were to land in September. Who knew that the climate and seasons here are so different... Well, but it's good this way. I, together with the Grand Marshal, received reports from ten vassal state divisions in Yangon. Hey, the quality of these soldiers is undoubtedly the best among those from Japan and Gui. Basically, they can go to the battlefield as soon as they arrive."
"What about the others?"
"Well, the troops from Zhou and Tang are actually pretty good. They should be able to be used after a little reorganization. The regiment sent by Annan is also okay. At least they dare to fight. The troops from Luzon, Mindanao, Java Island and other places are rubbish. I plan to let them serve as logistics troops and not let them go to the front line unless it is absolutely necessary."
"I see." Liu Zhaosun was now interested: "What about the troops from Fuguo?"
"You mean those North Koreans? Uh, somewhere between okay and trash."
"Hahaha~ Interesting, Wenzhao, I suggest that the staff department under the Indian Expedition Headquarters make a combat strength table, with the Henghai and Kuandian divisions as ten and the garbage sent from Java Island as one, and rank the combat strength of the troops of each vassal state. Otherwise, when the war really becomes urgent, there will be no specific numbers for reference, and the staff will just grab a garbage division and send it to a key position, which will cause a big disaster."
"Hey, that's a good idea. I'll ask the General Staff to do it later." After saying this, Cao Wenzhao rolled his eyes and said, "Why, do you think the next battle will be difficult to fight?"
“It’s a bit troublesome.”
Liu Zhaosun casually broke off a branch, then squatted down and drew a few lines on the still soft ground: "The general situation now is this: our army has set up a long snake formation along Kolkata, Asansol, and Patna . On this line, the effective control area we have is only 20 kilometers wide. It can be said that it is a very narrow strip of area."
"Yes." Cao Wenzhao also squatted down and looked at Liu Zhaosun seriously, saying, "Please continue."
"Then there's the enemy. The Mughals have already started mobilizing the entire country. According to our spies, countless soldiers and supplies are gathering in Kanpur, which is about 400 kilometers away from Patna. Now it has become a large construction site and is gradually being fortified."
"Hey, Zhao Sun, you're doing a pretty good job on intelligence. You can even get information from a place over 400 kilometers away?"
"Hey, Wenzhao, don't overthink this. India is amazing. The biggest difference from the Ming Dynasty is that there is no ethnic group like the Han people who have an absolute advantage in the country. There are too many ethnic groups in this place, and their numbers are almost the same. Just within a hundred miles of our place, there are many ethnic groups such as Ariel, Chat, Loti, Mali, Kadigunbi, Rajput, and Chamidar. People of these ethnic groups do not consider themselves Indians... So, as long as you pay enough money, it is easy to get information."
"I see." After nodding slightly, Cao Wenzhao pointed to the spot in Kanpur and asked, "What is the terrain like here?"
"Trouble, three big rivers, running almost parallel from west to east. There are paddy fields, ponds and wetlands everywhere ..."
"Ah, India is such a fertile land. If we conquer it and govern it well, it will become the new granary of the Ming Dynasty."
"hehe……"
"Zhao Sun, what are you laughing at?"
Standing up, throwing away the branch, clapping his hands, Liu Zhaosun said: "This place is really amazing. Wen Zhao, you should have known about the caste system in India before you landed, right?"
"Of course, the emperor gave us instructions before we left Beijing, and when we arrived in Yangon, Xu Xianchun specially invited the Brahmins who had taken refuge in Yangon to give us a personal testimony."
"Same." Liu Zhaosun smiled. "After we came here, we felt that the Brahmins and Kshatriyas were mostly unreliable, because we were here to fight them. So we focused on the Vaisyas and Shudras at first, and we even had serious contact with the Dalits. However, after a few months, we found that the Vaisyas, Shudras, and Dalits were all unreliable."
"Why?"
"First, they are incompetent. Even though the merchants in Vaisyas are wealthy, can read and have some culture, they still don't have the ability to manage civil affairs. Secondly, they are generally ignorant and resigned to their fate. Wenzhao, you don't know that when we first came here, we told those Vaisyas and Shudras to kill the Brahmins and Kshatriyas and distribute the land to them. Guess what these guys said? They said, if we kill the masters, who will arrange jobs for them and who will feed them... The third is laziness! Wenzhao, you will see it clearly if you stay for a while. Compared with the people of my Ming Dynasty, the people here are really lazy to the extreme. We have been building the port in Kolkata for more than half a month, and we have just laid a frame, and this is the result of several machine gun sweeps!"
"So, it is the Brahmins and Kshatriyas that we need to unite with?"
"That's right." Liu Zhaosun lightly clapped his fist. "Recently, I have also come into contact with the Brahmins and Kshatriyas in Patna. The idea they expressed was very clear. As long as they can ensure the privileges of their caste, they don't care who they serve as their master."
"Hmm..." Cao Wenzhao stroked his beard and nodded, "The emperor told me before I left Beijing. The first priority of this expedition to India is to kill a young man named Aurangzeb, the second is to destroy the Mughal Empire, and the third is to establish indirect rule here."
"Indirect rule?"
"Yes." Cao Wenzhao said, "The emperor is indeed worthy of being the reincarnation of the Azure Dragon, a person who is born with knowledge. Even though he is thousands of miles away, his insight into this place is just like you, Zhaosun, who saw it in person. The emperor said that after we destroy the Mughals, we don't have to manage this place directly. We will guarantee the interests of the Brahmins and Kshatriyas, and let them rule the vast Vaishyas, Shudras and Dalits. As for us, we only need the Brahmins and Kshatriyas to provide us with sufficient taxes, food, raw materials and human resources, and ensure that this place becomes the exclusive dumping ground for our Ming Dynasty's goods."
"I see. I can breathe a sigh of relief. Hey, Wen Zhao, you don't know the mental state of these Indians. I'm really worried about them, but they feel so comfortable!"
"Well, it's easy for us to deal with it next. But I don't know where Man Gui in the north has gone."
" Speaking of this." Liu Zhaosun spread his hands and said, "I also find it difficult. You said to send the Jinyiwei to investigate inland, but the racial differences are too great, so it is totally unfeasible. Let's send the locals to investigate. Hey, these guys can betray their emperor, and they can also betray us. What if I tell the locals about Man Gui's news, and the locals sell us out?"
"Well, there's really nothing we can do. Whatever, let's just do our own thing. The harder we beat the Indians, the safer Mangui will be!"
…
By November 1632, the rainy season in the middle and lower reaches of the Ganges had completely ended, the river was no longer turbulent, and the sky continued to clear up, and then the Ming army's landing speed naturally became faster and faster. By February 1633, of the 25 divisions of the Ming army and its vassal states, only one Ming native division and two vassal state divisions were stationed in the rear of Yangon, and the remaining 22 divisions, totaling about 320,000 people (there were losses in battle and transportation in the early stage), all completed the landing in Calcutta.
On March 1, 1633, Cao Wenzhao convened a meeting of generals in Patna and announced the battle plan.
"Everyone, it is now March. Winter here is over and we are now entering the dry season. It is said that the rainy season will come again in July every year. Therefore, we are very pressed for time and must achieve significant results in the next four months. Otherwise, we will have to march hard in the mud in the heavy rain."
"General, please give the order!"
"Okay, after repeated planning by the General Staff, our 22 divisions are now divided into three groups. The first group, with me as the commander-in-chief, has a total of 16 divisions. The mission of this group is to quickly march westward along the Ganges River, defeat and annihilate all enemies encountered along the way, and its ultimate goal is Agna, the nest of the enemy chief.
The second group, with Lieutenant General Mao Wenlong as the commander-in-chief, had a total force of three divisions. The group's mission was to move south to guard against the enemy's troops rushing down from the Deccan Plateau.
The Third Group, commanded by Major General Luo Xiong, had a total strength of two divisions. The mission of this group was to move westward and wipe out Bengal behind our army.
In addition, there is the 1st Marine Division led by Major General Zhang Hong. Your mission is to keep an eye on the line from Kolkata to Patna and ensure the safety of our base camp.
Do you all understand?"
"The general has a clear strategy, and I understand."
"Well, generals, please return to your camps and prepare. The first group will advance westward tomorrow!"
"I obey the general's orders!"
