The battlefield on the southern front is fierce, but the north is still calm.
The territory of Annan Kingdom is distributed in a long and narrow north-south direction, and the border with the Ming Dynasty is surrounded by high mountains.
Immediately afterwards, there is an open plain, which can lead directly to Thang Long City.
In other words, as long as the Ming army crosses the mountains, Thang Long City will no longer be in danger.
Therefore, Annan moved its capital to Thanh Hoa.
Thanh Hoa City is located in the land of fish and rice in Annan. The rice here can be harvested twice a year, and the grain yield is extremely high.
However, the Champa rice next door can be harvested three times a year, making it a natural granary!
For thousands of years, Annan Kingdom has been coveting the territory of Champa City and wants to take it as its own.
Since the sudden attack of the Ming army, Annan has received a warning. If you say you are not worried at all, it would be a lie. Fortunately, in the north, there are continuous mountains as a barrier. As long as you guard the passes, you can wear it down with the Ming army.<
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During the Yongle period, the Ming Dynasty conquered Annan. The preparations before the war lasted for a year. Hundreds of thousands of troops were divided into two groups and marched together, and then they defeated Shenglong in one fell swoop.
Therefore, although Annan was preparing intensively for war and dispatching various troops and horses to go north, there was no urgency.
They were very confident because they had ancestral experience in dealing with the Ming army, and they were in the right place at the right time and with the right people. Therefore, Annan mobilized the whole country to collect countless troops, horses, money and food, and the mighty army continued northward to stop the Ming army.
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The Ming army also set up its battle formation, and the war was about to break out.
Zhang Fu has rich experience in fighting. When he figured out the opponent's details and prepared to attack, something happened.
According to the report from the scouts, Annan's army suddenly divided its forces and suddenly lost half of its troops moving forward.
After receiving the information, Zhang Fu's first reaction was that the Annan people divided their forces and prepared to make dumplings for himself, so he stood still and waited to see what would happen.
For several days, there was still no movement from the Annan people.
It seems that they feel that there is no need for so many troops to deal with this Ming army, and even the elephant soldiers, the treasure of the country, have been withdrawn...
Zhang Fu was immediately furious and ordered an attack. After the two armies started fighting, the Annan people began to retreat.
The Ming army took advantage of the victory and pursued it all the way to the foot of Thang Long City.
Before the Annan Kingdom moved its capital to Thanh Hoa, Thang Long had been the capital for hundreds of years. Until now, it is still one of the most important main cities of the Annan Kingdom. The city has strong walls and sufficient reserves, while the Ming army is in another place.
In battle, grain and grass need to be transported from Yunnan, Guangxi and other places. Although the grain road is safe, it requires traveling over mountains and ridges, which is extremely inconvenient.
The soldiers led by Zhang Fu were recruited from Yunnan and were not equipped with new firearms. Facing the impregnable Shenglong City, there was really no good way to do it.
The northern battlefield entered a stalemate stage, but bad news came from Thanh Hoa City.
The main force on the southern front was defeated by the Ming army. The proud Xiangzhen was nothing in the eyes of others...
Only now did King Annan realize the terror of this Ming army.
According to the soldiers who escaped, the new artillery carried by the Ming army was a hundred times more powerful than the Annan artillery!
When launched, it can produce a huge explosion, like thunder.
Even the hills were razed to the ground!
The thick-skinned elephants had absolutely no ability to resist in the face of such artillery. They were already routed before they even got close. Even if they were not killed on the spot, they would be frightened and go crazy, trampling to death and injuring their own people.
Countless.
King Annan originally thought that this would be a war of attrition, but in just one encounter, he defeated his main force.
In desperation, I had no choice but to give the order to shrink the defense.
Except for Thang Long City, almost all Annam's troops were mobilized to Thanh Hoa City.
The two cities echo each other and are ready to defend to the death.
A month ago, Annan's army besieged Champa and prepared to capture it in one fell swoop.
They would never have imagined that just one month later, the situation would be reversed.
It's late at night, and Qinghua City seems extremely calm at this time, but under this calm, there are dark waves surging.
In order to prevent the Ming army from attacking at any time, there were soldiers and horses patrolling back and forth everywhere on the towering city wall. They held weapons and did not dare to slack off, patrolling back and forth.
Inside the palace, the lights were brightly lit. Annan King Li Sicheng summoned civil servants and generals to discuss the plan to deal with the Ming army all night long.
For the Annan monarchs and ministers, the most bizarre thing about this matter is why the Ming army was so hasty in its southern expedition, without even sending a message.
The so-called manifesto is a public declaration of war.
Because in Confucianism, if the name is not correct, the words will not be correct, especially in war, it is even more important to learn from the name!
Even when King Yan raised his army, he could not say that he was rebelling, but had to use the banner of Jingnan as a cover.
All in all, before launching a war, you must send out a message and then write down a few high-sounding reasons.
But, this time there was nothing.
There is no preparation, and there is no time to collect food and grass. It is so unreasonable to attack immediately.
There are obviously too many fishy things behind this.
The defeat on the front line made Li Sicheng, who was still complacent and claimed to be the Emperor of Annan, very worried.
He never expected that the Ming army suddenly appeared from the sea!
What is even more incredible is that there are only two thousand troops.
Suddenly, he remembered that a master who had a profound knowledge of the culture of the Central Plains had once told him a book called The Romance of the Three Kingdoms, in which he wrote that in the midst of talking and laughing, the boats and oars were turned into ashes. This is probably what it meant...
While he was thinking wildly, the civil servants and generals were still arguing with red faces.
Some people think that the Ming army is not something to be afraid of. They remember that back then, the Ming army invaded Annan on a large scale. In the end, they suffered a lot and had to withdraw obediently.
Although the Ming army is strong now, the supply problem cannot be solved.
They have learned that occupying the city has cut off the food and grass of the Ming army on the southern front. As long as they persist to the end, the Ming army will be defeated.
On the contrary, some people think that it is not wise to go to war with the Ming army. It is better to give in and take the initiative to remove the title of emperor and express submission to the Ming Dynasty.
Of course, those who are soft-minded are in the minority after all.
In the country of Annan, a trend of arrogance has long been born. The royal family calls itself the emperor, and believes that Annan is the righteousness of China. They regard the Ming Dynasty as the Northern Dynasty. Although externally, they still surrender to the Ming Dynasty, but Annan King Li Sicheng All the specifications of his utensils, even the temple names given to his ancestors, are all based on the standards of the Ming Emperor.
At this time, a Hanlin official said in a fierce and stern tone: "Your Majesty, you don't have to worry about the Northern Dynasty troops. The Northern Dynasties have always conquered our Southern Dynasty, but none of them has been successful. They are just bluffing, and our Southern Dynasty's fierce warriors, tens of thousands of people, work together." , Why worry about the barbarians of the Northern Dynasty? Today, Your Majesty only needs to hold on and wait for an opportunity to counterattack. In the future, the Northern Dynasty will be captured, and the Northern Dynasty will be divided across the river to rule, and the land south of the Yangtze River in the Northern Dynasty will be included. Then the great cause of our ancestors will be accomplished."
Annan was deeply influenced by Chinese culture. Not only the emperor's palace, but also the architecture of the Central Plains were almost replicated. All the corresponding official positions, official uniforms, and the language used by the nobles were mainly Han Chinese.
They also have the Hanlin Academy, and even the imperial examination system and even Confucianism are the same.
They can even recite poems and write poems. Although it is at the level of limericks, the nobles also enjoy it.
When Hanlin spoke, he used Chinese.
Doing this is not only to show off one's literary talent, but also because only when these words are spoken in Chinese can they be powerful and make people's hearts surging.
It seems impossible to achieve such an effect in Annan dialect.
Infected by this person, more and more people took the initiative to fight, and the soft-minded faction was eventually defeated.
Li Sicheng nodded and said: "You all are united, why should I, Annan, be afraid? Pass the order, close the city gates tightly, and defend with all your strength!"
One is Thang Long City and the other is Thanh Hoa City.
The two most important and strongest cities in Annan Kingdom faced the Ming army on the north and south fronts respectively, and were prepared for a long defensive battle.
After Na Hanlin received the emperor's approval, he became even more enthusiastic and began to advocate vigorously.
This war may last one month, three months, half a year...
In short, the outcome must be the defeat of the Ming army!
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty..."
But at this moment, a young eunuch ran in in a panic.
"Your Majesty, the enemy is attacking, the enemy is attacking!"
After Li Sicheng heard this, he was stunned.
Na Hanlinkang's passionate preaching also came to an abrupt end.
The monarchs and ministers in this palace are all a little confused when you look at me and I look at you.
Zheng Fu, Minister of War, stepped forward and asked, "Where are the enemy troops?"
"Here, here... we have arrived at the city!"
Zheng Fu suddenly took a breath of cold air, the Ming army must have been too fast!
According to scout reports, three days ago, the main force of the Ming army on the southern front was 150 miles away.
This is a war, you are just delivering food, just drop it and run away.
Now we are on defense, and as the attacker, you must at least prepare!
Raising food and fodder, discussing tactics... don’t these take time?
Or should I say that when you encounter a stupid person, you will just attack blindly and have no rules at all?
The one hundred and fifty miles journey took only three days.
This shows that this Ming army was completely unprepared. It followed the Annan defenders and arrived immediately.
Li Sicheng turned pale and was silent for a long time.
Since the beginning of the war, such accidents have happened from time to time. In the past, the Ming army always followed the routine when fighting against Annan, but this time, they couldn't figure out the routine at all.
At this time, the Hanlin who was giving a speech suddenly said: "Your Majesty, don't panic, it must be a small group of Ming troops harassing you. What's more, your Majesty has collected the elite soldiers of this dynasty to defend the imperial capital. The city walls here are tall and there are tens of thousands of elite soldiers guarding them. Even if
Even if the main force of the Ming army attacks, there will be no hindrance. Why should Your Majesty be afraid?"
Hearing him yell, everyone felt relieved.
Yes, what are you afraid of? The time, place and people are all right here. What will happen if only the Ming army comes?
Li Sicheng's expression also softened a lot and he cheered up again.
At this time, Prince Li Bin said: "Why don't my father personally go to the city gate to inspect the city gate to calm the morale of the army?"
Li Sicheng frowned and subconsciously wanted to refuse, but suddenly thought, yes, I am standing on the tower, what do I have to be afraid of?
No matter how powerful the Ming army's artillery is, it can still knock down my city wall!
"That's what I have in mind. Please follow me to the front line to visit the soldiers guarding the city!"
At this moment, the monarch and his ministers walked out of the palace and climbed onto the city wall.
Li Sicheng stood on a high place, waved to the soldiers and said, "Thank you for your hard work!"
When the Annan defenders saw the emperor coming in person, they all became excited.
Seeing everyone's high spirits, Li Sicheng also dispelled his doubts.
Looking around, there are torches burning in the Ming army formation, and they seem to be busy with something.
Judging from the scale, there are only two thousand people at most, which is consistent with the intelligence.
But I don’t know how a mere 2,000 people defeated Annan’s 30,000 main force?
…………
Under Qinghua City, the Ming army was nervously preparing.
Chen Ying personally took command of the battle, and the three artillery battalions nervously searched for positions, dug pits to lay stones, and set up the Flying Tiger Cannon.
This is because the sand is soft. When the Flying Tiger Cannon is fired, if the gun body is driven into the sand, part of the energy will be offset, so stones must be placed under the base.
In the blink of an eye, thirty heavy cannons and eighty light cannons were all set up and were being adjusted and loaded with gunpowder.
Before leaving Beijing, the Shenji Battalion had already undergone a lot of training. Coupled with the actual combat during this period, they had already become proficient in the use of the Flying Tiger Cannon, to the point where they could even operate it with their eyes closed.
After all preparations were completed, Chen Ying came to Zhu Qiyu.
"Your Highness, the Shenji Camp is ready!"
Zhu Qiyu looked at the towering city wall, narrowed his eyes, and said: "Let's start!"
Chen Ying's eyes flashed with excitement, and he saluted: "Yes!"
Under the quiet night sky, a sharp bamboo whistle suddenly sounded.
Immediately afterwards, each fire rod lit up, igniting the fuse, and white smoke billowed out.
Bang!
There was a muffled sound and the earth shook.
Zhu Qiyu stood behind the position and felt the vibration, which made his internal organs shake.
The first heavy cannon roared, sending out the shells in its chamber, drawing a perfect half-arc in the sky, and landing on the opposite city wall.
Boom!
Then, a continuous roar came.
A corner of the city wall was shattered by the bombardment, and masonry debris flew off.
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
The other artillery spit out tongues of flame one after another. At this moment, it was like a tree of fire, and the dark night sky was extremely gorgeous!
On the city wall, Li Sicheng was already stunned.
He had always heard that the Chinese artillery was powerful, but when he witnessed the firing of thousands of artillery pieces, he was still shocked.
Especially the first cannon shot, which destroyed a corner of the city wall.
In his opinion, cannonballs are just lumps of iron. No matter how big the cannonball is, if it hits the city wall, it will break the sky and make a dent.
However, their cannonballs will explode!
Moreover, it is so powerful that a city wall built with a lot of financial and material resources is like a paper lake in front of other people's artillery, and has almost no defensive effect.
How can we fight this...
Boom!
A cannonball landed nearby, causing rubble to fly.
Prince Li Bin reacted quickly and threw his father to the ground.
"Your Majesty, retreat quickly!"
Li Bin ignored the dust on his body and face, picked up Li Sicheng and ran away.
By this time, Li Sicheng was already stupid.
Is this still a human weapon?
Even if the gods are here, they can’t be stopped!
Boom!
Boom!
Cannonballs continued to hit the city wall, and then a lot of wailing came from the city wall.
Li Sicheng couldn't help but look back and found...the entire city wall collapsed!
Seeing this scene, he could no longer take a step forward, his knees weakened, and he collapsed to the ground.