Chapter 1039 1034 [Single challenge from a foreign land]
The Chinese are a minority in Ceylon, so they should win over other ethnic minorities.
For example, the Tamila (Tamil) people!
Tamils from South India have invaded Ceylon again and again since BC.
When the Chola Dynasty ruled the island of Ceylon, the Tamils became the superior people here and forcibly changed the folk religion to Brahmanism.
Although Buddhism was restored when Ceylon was restored, it did not kill all the Tamils on the island. The king even recruited a group of Tamil mercenaries as personal guards.
A few years ago, Parakarama became a regicide and started to massacre the Tamil people wildly.
Now in the entire island of Ceylon, there is only territory for the puppet king and the Chinese, and the Tamils are allowed to continue to exist.
The King of Ceylon and Xia Yuqing unanimously recruited Tamil soldiers - these guys may run away during the war, but they will never surrender to the enemy again, because once they surrender, they will be brutally killed!
Faced with the pressure of more than 10,000 coalition troops, Xia Yuqing began to expand his retinue.
It can also be said to be a part.
He directly expanded his thirty Tamil songs to one hundred, and said to these people: "As long as you win this battle, your whole family will be exempted from the land rent. Listen clearly, it is not to reduce the land rent, but to reduce the land rent." I will exempt your family from all land rents! If they fight bravely and achieve great achievements, I will also give such warriors land. Fields that belong to you! Say with me, kill the enemy, kill the enemy, kill the enemy!"
The previous words were translated into Tamil by someone personally, but the word "kill the enemy" is standard Ming Dynasty Mandarin.
"Kill the enemy, kill the enemy, kill the enemy!"
One hundred Tamil soldiers shouted excitedly, and their morale instantly became high.
Although the rule of Xia Yuqing and other Chinese was very brutal, at least the Tamils were allowed to continue to survive.
If this place is captured by the coalition forces, Parakarama's soldiers will definitely kill all the Tamils or turn them into slaves.
Even if it is only for themselves, the Tamils have to fight bravely.
What's more, Xia Yuqing also promised to exempt his family from land rent and reward them with some land for their great achievements.
The five hundred Ming soldiers, all like Xia Yuqing, each returned to their own manor to expand their recruitment.
Didn't one die in battle and several more died of illness? How could there be still 500 soldiers?
Because their sons, or adopted children, are already 17 or 18 years old and can fight, and they have inherited their late father's military equipment.
In addition, many soldiers brought their sons and nephews to fight.
The first two groups of them to get married were their wives during the cross-sea raid on Liaodong. Most of the wives were from Bohai, Liaodong, and a few were Han and Khitan women.
The third group got married in Iwami Castle, and their wives were all Japanese women.
Xia Yuqing now has one wife and five concubines.
The first wife was from the Bohai ethnic group brought from Liaodong, and the other five concubines were all taken from Ceylon.
Two of the concubines are the daughters of Sinhala nobles, with relatively fair skin, almost as dark as the natives of Southeast Asia. The other two concubines are mixed-race female slaves bought from the Cholu Kingdom. This kind of female slave is also one of the sources of Li Bangyan's Bodhisattva Man. There is a concubine, but she is the daughter of an Arab merchant.
Over the years, Xia Yuqing had six sons and five daughters, not counting those who died young.
The eldest son and the second son were both born to the Bohai clan's first wife, and were eighteen and fifteen years old respectively. They were all going to participate in the battle this time.
"Brother Wang, Brother Gao, Brother Li," Xia Yuqing clasped his fists and said to the trio of treasure hunters. "The navy in my hand is very weak. The enemy may attack from the sea. I rely on these three for naval battles. It will be decided later.
Thank you very much!”
Wang Chongdu smiled and said: "I heard that the enemy's navy was crippled by the envoys a few years ago. Even if it is rebuilt, how much can it be restored? Our three sea-going ships are all medium-sized warships that have been eliminated by the navy. Your Majesty also allows us to keep the artillery.
The soldiers on the ship are also veterans of the Ming Dynasty navy, not to mention mere barbarian navy soldiers."
After some exchanges between the two sides, Xia Yuqing quickly led his troops to the expedition.
Along the way, soldiers and troops kept coming to join together, so Xia Yuqing decided to divide his troops into two groups.
There were fifty soldiers in the partial division, as well as nearly a hundred of their brothers, sons and nephews, as well as hundreds of their Tamil tribes. These people defended a castle in the northeast, and all the territory east of the castle was abandoned.
The main force consisted of 420 soldiers, as well as more than a thousand of their brothers, nephews, and seven or eight thousand of their Tamil tribe. These troops went all the way north. The goal of the battle was not only to defeat the coalition forces, but also to kill the Polo Army.
Kalama's lair.
The above main force and partial divisions, as well as some soldiers' estates are close to the front line, and they have not come to join them yet.
The remaining thirty soldiers, together with their brothers, nephews and troops, stayed at Wangxianggang Castle to prevent the enemy from stealing their homes.
The treasure-hunting trio also help guard the home, mainly to guard against enemies on the sea. They can also enter the castle for defense at critical moments.
As for the logistics workers, they were all forcibly recruited Sinhala farmers—actually they were all tenants. Xia Yuqing confiscated all the indigenous lands.
Six second-generation officials insisted on going to war, and even brought their own entourage with them.
On the march, Lu You asked Bai Shihou: "Brother Xuepu was born in a general, what do you think of these Tamila (Tamil) soldiers?"
Bai Shihou smiled and said: "Not so much. They are all young men recruited from tenants, and most of them have not even practiced. There are no helmets, only leather armor. No bows and arrows, only swords and guns. If there is a real war, even the militiamen of the Ming Dynasty will fight.
Not as good. But the morale is pretty good. I heard they were massacred a few years ago. If they don't win this time, they may not even have a way to survive."
"If you are willing to work hard, it is already very good." One of Bai Shihou's followers said.
This man is a real elite veteran of the Ming Dynasty. Although he is in his forties and slightly disabled, his performance on the battlefield was absolutely amazing.
Fan Chengda quickly asked the veteran: "Can you win?"
The veteran said: "I heard that the natives on the island do not have cavalry, and only some nobles have war horses. But the army commanded by Xia has more than a hundred cavalry. There are also dozens of muskets and four artillery. It is still an advantage in a real fight.
."
Xia Yuqing's war horse was originally a sick horse from the envoy.
During the sea voyage, many excellent war horses fell ill and simply stayed on the island of Ceylon.
Among them are many of the best breeds of horses bought from Arabia and Seljuk. Over the years, some of the war horses have aged or died, but they have also given birth to more than 20 foals, some of which are ready to ride and fight.
Another day later, one after another soldiers from the front line of the manor fled back with their families and troops to join the main force.
Their manor has been occupied by the enemy, and everyone is clamoring to build a fort in the future.
Half a day later, the vanguard sent by Xia Yuqing sent back news that they had defeated a small group of enemies. The vanguards of the two armies engaged in a skirmish, and the Han cavalry rushed over and defeated the enemy on the seaside plain.
The main forces of both sides continued to advance and chose the same battlefield by chance.
It is the most open flat land within dozens of miles.
They each set up camp and went out to fight the next day.
The first ones to appear were their respective mage teams...
Didn’t Emperor Zhu consecrate five great Kasyapas in Ceylon?
The most ridiculous thing is that the leader of the magicians brought by the enemy this time is one of the great Kasyapas who was canonized by Emperor Zhu.
Xia Yuqing, on the other hand, simply followed the local customs. After all, there were so many Tamil tribes. Therefore, he also brought a Brahmin mage this time to add combat buffs to the Tamil soldiers, and to add a few debuffs to the enemy soldiers.
I saw that both sides sent dozens of mages each. The one on the opposite side was a Buddhist monk. Xia Yuqing was a Brahmin monk.
Qi Qi'an was dumbfounded: "What kind of battle is this?"
Bai Shihou said: "There are shamans in the Jin Kingdom and magicians in Xixia. These two countries will also practice magic when they fight. However, there are very few magic practices before the battle. They are all before the war. In fact, the army of the former Song Dynasty also performed divination and sacrifice before going out.
"
Both armies stood still, looking at their respective mage formations and chanting incantations.
The mages quickly finished their duel and each retreated to the rear.
Parakarama, the regicide, sent out a warrior who suddenly came to the front of the formation to challenge him.
This form of fighting generals before the formation not only exists in "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms", but is also popular in all ancient countries.
The famous Persian king Darius III won a duel in front of the battle line, and then led his army to victory in the battle, and was appointed governor of Armenia by Xerxes.
The Eastern Roman army also has records of many duels before the battle.
As for ancient China, "Zhishi" was popular in the pre-Qin period. It could be fought individually or in groups, and battles between chariot groups often broke out.
Xia Yuqing looked at the Tamil soldiers in his army. He was afraid that morale would be lost if he did not accept the duel, and he was also afraid that the generals he sent would not be able to win.
"Father, I'll go meet him!"
The eldest son Xia Xiliang volunteered.
Xia Yuqing did not agree immediately, nor did he refuse directly.
His eldest son is eighteen years old this year. He lived on Salmon Island when he was a child. His uncles and uncles were all villains who had eaten people. When he was a little older, he went to Shijian City and learned the skills from Emperor Zhu's adopted sons.
But he has never fought a decent battle. In the past few years, he has been with the army and bullied the small nobles on the island of Ceylon.
He knew that his son was good at martial arts, but he had too little actual combat experience and would overturn if he wasn't careful.
After thinking about it carefully, Xia Yuqing said: "You go into battle on horseback. The enemy has no horses and can be captured by surprise."
Xia Xiliang immediately rode out, but due to his youthful nature, he dismounted halfway and wanted to win through a fair duel.
Xia Yuqing was anxious and angry, but it was too late, so he could only curse: "Asshole!"
But the soldiers under his command, whether they were Han soldiers or Tamil soldiers, burst into cheers.
Obviously, Xia Xiliang's move of abandoning his horse won the favor of all the soldiers - this favor was conditional, Xia Xiliang had to win a duel in order to continue to have it.
The enemy general was wearing leather armor, holding a shield in his left hand, a spear in his right hand, and a knife at his waist.
Xia Xiliang was wearing iron armor, carrying a bow and arrows, a long knife on his waist, and a spear in his hand.
The two sides were dozens of steps apart. Xia Xiliang put his gun on the ground, took out his bow and arrow and shot.
The shot was accurate.
But it was too accurate, and it went straight to the enemy general's chest, but the enemy general blocked the arrow with his shield.
The enemy general was also startled and stopped allowing Xia Xiliang to shoot arrows. He immediately leaned down and ran towards him at a faster speed.
Xia Xiliang shot another arrow, but this time he missed.
The main reason was that the enemy general was leaning down to kill him, his vital points were covered by the shield, and Xia Xiliang's shot aimed at his legs was dodged.
Putting away the bow and arrows, Xia Xiliang picked up the spear.
This is a four-meter lance, but the enemy general's one-handed spear is only over one meter.
Long weapons can easily bully short weapons, but the enemy general still has a shield in his hand. He also seems to be very strong, and his shield fighting skills are extremely sophisticated. Xia Xiliang's spears were blocked several times, but instead he was stabbed by the enemy general with a spear.
chest.
Both sides were stunned for a moment.
The enemy general was stunned because his attack could not break through the defense at all.
The armor worn by Xia Xiliang is an improved version during the Ming-Jin War. Xia Yuqing exchanged it for his son with a top-quality Ceylon ruby. Someone in the Ming Dynasty smuggled the old armor and put it into storage. It is recorded in the military's logistics accounts.
Recorded as scrapped ordnance.
Xia Xiliang was stunned because he was approached by an enemy out of nowhere.
He practiced riding and archery since he was a child, and became more proficient in horse fighting skills, but he was not as good as the enemy generals in foot fighting.
Xia Xiliang's reaction was also very quick. It was already in the middle distance at this time. He quickly abandoned his spear and drew his sword instead of retreating.
The enemy general, who was experienced in combat, withdrew his spear and pushed forward with his shield, pushing Xia Xiliang away who wanted to get closer, keeping both sides at the optimal attack distance of the short spear.
"Bang the cheering drum!"
Xia Yuqing looked anxiously through his binoculars, fearing that his son would overturn the car in a single fight.
If Xia Xiliang's armor hadn't been strong, he would have been killed by the enemy general.
"Dong dong dong dong!"
The drums beat loudly.
The enemy troops also started beating drums.
Lu You said: "There has been no general fighting in China for a long time, right? The last time fighting generals became popular was during the Five Dynasties period."
Bai Shihou's veterans commented: "Xia Xiaolangjun's experience is too little, and his weapons are not suitable for infantry fighting. His behavior of abandoning his horse was too much. Fortunately, the armor is excellent and there is still a chance to win. Young people always have to suffer some losses."
Make progress.”
While talking, Xia Xiliang charged forward with the knife again.
The enemy general stabbed Xia Xiliang with a spear. Although it hurt Xia Xiliang, he still could not penetrate the armor.
The enemy general was stunned. He had never encountered such a duel before. In panic, he used the reaction force of the short spear to retreat.
The enemy general retreated, and Xia Xiliang also retreated. He quickly sheathed his sword and picked up the spear on the ground.
He shook a spear and stabbed it at the enemy general's face.
The enemy will hold up his shield to block, and then charge forward with his spear.
The spear in Xia Xiliang's hand changed its line midway and stabbed the enemy general in the waist.
The enemy general has never encountered this kind of gun and flower technique, and he was hit instantly.
Obviously, Xia Xiliang's spear is also specially made. The barrel is tough and elastic at the same time. It can be pulled out by shaking the arm. It is impossible for ordinary cavalry spears to be made of composite materials. It takes at least two or three years to make such a barrel.
.
The gun head pierced the leather armor with a sound, and the enemy general suffered severe injuries to his abdomen.
The enemy general dropped his shield and retreated, holding the barrel of the gun to pull it out. However, Xia Xiliang refused to show mercy and rushed forward with the spear in hand, stabbing the enemy's abdomen deeper and deeper with the spear head.
Finally, the enemy general fell while retreating.
Xia Xiliang continued to exert force, and the spear tip was completely inserted into the abdomen. Then he pulled out his waist knife, chopped it down with a single blow, and then cut off the enemy general's head.
He went back, got on his horse, rushed to the enemy's formation with the head in hand, and galloped back and forth in a mighty manner.
Our own soldiers cheered loudly, but the morale of the enemy soldiers was greatly reduced.
Seeing his son's victory, Xia Yuqing finally felt relieved and said, "Send the flag and tell that bastard to come back quickly, I'm going to fire!"
Since the imperial court left four artillery pieces, of course they must be used rationally.