Chapter 190 Don't destroy the fertile fields of fellow villagers
The navy of the Ming Dynasty made a long-distance raid. The treasure ships and warships carried a total of more than 8,000 troops. This was already the smallest number of people Zheng He brought on his voyages to the West.
In order to make a quick surprise attack, Zheng He decided to let Zhu Zhanzhen lead a fleet of steam warships to quickly arrive at Ba Ria-Vung Tau Port.
The flying Henanese took the lead and rushed with more than twenty steam warships. It arrived at Ba Ria-Vung Tau in the early morning two days later. In this era, this speed of attack was already incredible.
"The weather along the way was good and the wind and waves were calm, which is a good omen." Zhu Zhanchen took out his telescope and looked at Ba Ria-Vung Tau Port.
There are many rebels in the port. It is the main place for trade between Cochin and other countries, so it is heavily guarded. Cutting off this place will make the connection between Cochin and Southeast Asian countries even more difficult.
Zhu Zhanzhen immediately issued an order to bombard the fleet with artillery fire.
Suddenly, a fleet appeared heading towards the port at full speed, startling the rebels on the port, and they hurriedly began to prepare for a counterattack.
The Jiaozhi Army did not have the ability to make its own cannons. The artillery on the port was still deployed during the Ming Dynasty's rule. There were four in total. The positions of the four cannons were clearly marked on the maritime map of Zhu Zhanzhen and others.
Shoot your weapons first.
The flying Henanese was bombarded by artillery fire.
boom
boom
boom
The artillery shells fell and the Cochin people fled in all directions. This kind of surprise attack without warning tested the countermeasures they usually trained. However, it was obvious that the Cochin army was not trained well, and stragglers were mainly stragglers. Once they were bombarded, they fled in all directions.
Only a small number of people want to fight back.
The people next to the artillery wanted to fire back, but under the unilateral fire suppression, only two shots were fired, and the four artillery were blown up.
Rich is covered by firepower.
More than a dozen warships bombarded the port indiscriminately, and there were more than a dozen warships waiting behind them. After one round of bombing, there was another round.
The rebels in Cochin suffered heavy losses and were unable to organize an effective counterattack, so they could only withdraw from the range of fire coverage.
"stop."
Following Zhu Zhanzhen's order, the flags of the messengers waved, and the artillery bombardment temporarily stopped.
After attacking for nearly an hour, there was no one around the port. Zhu Zhanzhen was not in a hurry to go ashore, but led the fleet away. After two hours, he led the fleet back.
Sure enough, the rebels in Cochin in the port were back again, and this time they started running as soon as the warship appeared.
Another round of artillery fire.
The people of Jiaozhi were afraid. The firepower of the Ming Dynasty navy was so terrifying that they had no power to resist.
Zhu Zhanzhen waited until Zheng He's treasure ship arrived before preparing to disembark.
"Your Highness, what are you going to do next?"
"I plan to rely on the port, build fortifications, mount artillery, and retain troops. I don't want too much space, I want it near this port."
Zhu Zhanzhen only wanted a port again, which was the same as the leased port he mentioned before. Zheng He asked: "Does Your Highness also plan to trade with them here?"
"We have to wait and see about this place. We have to have suitable candidates. It's hard to find people like Li Youmin. It's just that we have to occupy this port."
Zheng He thought for a while: "Your Highness can actually occupy the southern part of Jiaozhi at once according to the strength and combat effectiveness of our army. This is also the original plan."
Zhu Zhanzhen decided to leave the war to Zheng He: "Leave it all to you to command."
After receiving the order, Zheng He said: "The closest city to Ba Ria-Vung Tau Port is Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City). I have made many voyages to the West, and many Western countries paid tribute and stopped at this port, so the nearest city was named Saigon.
"Gong" means a place that has become busy due to maritime trade. As long as Saigon is taken away, there will be no other big city to rely on at the southern end of Cochin."
Saigon can be reached along the river from the port, so Zheng He did not hesitate: "Ten warships, follow me, and three thousand soldiers on the treasure ship, march quickly, and take Saigon directly from both land and water directions."
The two places are less than a hundred miles apart. The army is marching on both sides of the river to protect the warships. Zhu Zhanzhen's flying Henanese is at the forefront, and the dark warships are full of oppression.
The rebels retreated from the port and all retreated into Saigon City. There were more than 30,000 rebels in the city at this time, and there were even more civilians. Judging from the number of people, the Ming army was at a disadvantage, but the equipment of the rebels was incomparable to the Ming army. Zheng
Those who were brought out were all elites, and basically everyone was equipped with firecrackers or Aka 47s, as well as grenades and other equipment.
Zhu Zhanyi looked at the fertile land on both sides of the strait on the warship and couldn't help but sigh that this place is really a good place to grow food.
"Look over there, and over there, in this large area of fertile land, how much food can be produced in a year."
"Inform the soldiers that the rebel soldiers can be killed, but don't destroy the farmland of the fellow villagers. I will have to grow food in the future."
There were small villages with dozens of people on the road. They hid when they saw the soldiers, and the army ignored them.
…
"Dad, what kind of army are you talking about? Why are there so many people and such big ships? They look so powerful."
The farmer's children poked their heads out of the crack in the door to take a look.
The farmer pulled him back and said, "That's the Ming Dynasty's army. Be careful."
The wife of a farmer nearby said angrily: "What's the difference between the army of the Li Dynasty and the army of the Ming Dynasty? It's not as good as the army of the Ming Dynasty. When the Ming Dynasty army was there before, after paying taxes, there was still some food left to feed the people. Now the Li Dynasty is even worse."
I can’t even eat.”
"Don't say anything. Be careful of the Li Dynasty's army. The two families nearby were arrested a few days ago and sent to the army. If our family hadn't handed over the grain, A Bao would also have been arrested." The farmer was cautious.
He stroked the head of his son who was only twelve or thirteen years old.
"If we fight, we might as well get the Ming Dynasty's army back as soon as possible."
"Stop talking, stop talking."
In order to fight against the Ming army, the harsh government implemented by the Li Dynasty was much harsher than that of the previous Ming Dynasty. The people were miserable, and this war was fought with no end in sight. In the end, it was the people who suffered.
After a year of hard work, I used to have some food left over after paying the tax. I exchanged the money for my son to get a wife in the future. Now many families cannot pay the food and have to send their men to serve as soldiers. Which parent wants to see their son go to war?
The soldiers of the Li Dynasty were soldiers. Their enemy was the powerful Ming Dynasty. Most of them would not be able to return home if they went there.
When the warship approached Saigon, the city of Cochin was not as tall as the Ming Dynasty, and the city walls were filled with Le soldiers who were waiting in full formation.
They were obviously a little nervous, facing the Ming Dynasty's powerful ships and cannons. The dark gun barrels of the warships were already aimed at Saigon.
Zheng He shouted: "Open fire."
The artillery bombardment hits the same area on the city wall. This is to open a hole in the city wall. When you have cannons, you don't have to talk to your opponents with swords about how to attack the city, and you don't have to worry about the city gates. First
Don't scare them out of their courage.
Except for the group of rebels in Cochin who ran back from the port, no one else had ever seen such a level of firepower coverage, a burst of indiscriminate bombardment, and the supply of gunpowder they brought was sufficient, so they were not worried about running out of supplies at the moment.
The bombardment lasted until evening.
The setting sun is like blood, and the red clouds on the horizon are like fire. Unknown birds line up in rows passing through the scarlet evening. In Saigon, which is filled with smoke and dust, a corner of the city wall has been flattened. I don’t know what to do among the ruins.
Le dynasty rebels.
"Have you gone to inform eldest brother?"
"We have gone, but the journey is far away. It will take at least a few days for my eldest brother to receive the news and bring people here. We cannot hold on for a few days with the Ming army's fighting style, and the morale of the people and soldiers in the city is also not good."
"This can't continue like this. Now the Ming army has stopped attacking. They are leading their troops out of the city at night to surprise enemy warships. Even if we can capture one of these warships, we will make a lot of money."
The Jiaozhi rebels knew that the Ming army would definitely attack the city tomorrow morning, but they would definitely not be able to wait for support. The only way now was to go out of the city for a surprise attack.
But facing the Ming army, their morale was extremely low.
The night is very dark tonight, dark clouds cover the moon, the wind is blowing, and it seems that a heavy rain is brewing.
The rebels in Jiaozhi left the city overnight and quietly approached the direction of the warship. A troop slowly came over from the waterway. Their first goal was to destroy the warship.
They were familiar with the terrain here, but Zheng He had been here several times, and their understanding was similar. The simple tactics of the Jiaochin people were simply ridiculous in front of Zheng He.
When the Jiaozhi army approached, they discovered that the Ming army had already been prepared.
Rows of muskets started firing as soon as they spotted the rebels.
Bang
Bang
Bang
From a distance, the accuracy is average, but with so many people on the other side, the shots are almost perfect.
The soldiers holding Aka 47 began to fire continuously.
The forward of the Cochin Army shouted desperately: "Charge forward."
But a gun will always be faster than your sword from ten meters away.
Within ten meters, the gun is accurate and fast.
The Cochin rebels were beaten and fled.
Zhu Zhanzhen asked Zheng He curiously: "Why did he stop shelling when he got closer and wait for the Cochin rebels to come?"
"A round of shelling has made some of them timid. Their only chance is to launch a surprise attack on us at night. But there is an advantage at night, that is, the timid soldiers in the rear have a greater chance of running away. After all, they are panicking.
No one can see him clearly, and if he turns out to be a deserter in broad daylight, he will be beheaded wherever he goes."
"So as long as we repel one wave of surprise attacks at night, we basically win."
Everything went as Zheng He expected. Jiaozhi's army lacked cohesion and fled in all directions. Saigon's defenders were already insufficient. Many of them must have fled everywhere. In addition, some of them were wiped out at night. They will be attacked again tomorrow.
The resistance will be much smaller.
We can attack and kill by force with strong troops and horses, but this will bring more losses. Zheng He wanted to reduce his own losses to the lowest point. No one wanted to bury his loyal soul in a foreign country, and he also wanted to take his troops to the West.
"If this city is captured, how many people will be needed to defend it?"
"No." Zheng He gave an unexpected answer.
"ah?"
"I refer to His Highness's idea. We don't want a city. We only want a port. Cover the area near the port with our troops and build fortifications. We can advance, attack, retreat, or defend. There are plains around and there are very few cities. This time we destroyed
If the city wall of Saigon is broken, even if they come back with a large army, they will have no city to rely on. But we occupy the port and only need a small number of troops. If the situation goes wrong, we will retreat to the warships and rely on the warships to fight."
－－－－－－Digression－－－－－
Asking for monthly tickets, asking for recommendation votes
