Late Yuan Dynasty: I am the true emperor

Chapter 576 The Combination of Orthodox and Unorthodox Methods
On October 18th, the vanguard of the Ming army arrived in Luoshan County (Fuyuan), located on the east side of Qujing Road in Yunnan Province. They launched a fierce attack on Luoshan County that same day, firing the first shot of this southern expedition.

The county of Luoshan (Fuyuan), which had been attacked, was completely bewildered and had no idea what had happened. The magistrate of Luoshan had even intended to surrender, but before he could offer up the city, the unreasonable Ming army stormed into the city. Before he could react, the unfortunate magistrate was stabbed to death in the street by the fierce Ming soldiers during street fighting.
At this point, we have to explain why Luoshan County reacted this way.

The Ming army's southern expedition to Yunnan in the original history took place in the fourteenth year of Hongwu (1381). Zhu Yuanzhang founded the country in 1368. The reason why Zhu Yuanzhang did not attack Yunnan for so long was that he was preoccupied with the Northern Yuan. At that time, the Northern Yuan had not yet been crippled, and the northern defense line of the Ming Dynasty was constantly threatened by the Northern Yuan. The military focus at that time was also basically in the north.

Secondly, Zhu Yuanzhang still harbored some unrealistic fantasies about the Liang King Bazarawami in Yunnan. Zhu Yuanzhang sent envoys to Yunnan several times, hoping to directly appease the Liang King, but the Liang King ruthlessly refused each time and even killed several Ming envoys. Only after Zhu Yuanzhang could no longer tolerate it did he have no choice but to pacify Yunnan by force.

With these repeated visits, Zhu De's constant dispatch of envoys naturally alerted the Yunnan authorities.

However, Lu Jin's timeline is different. Lu Jin himself knows that the Prince of Liang is a die-hard. This guy is extremely loyal to the Yuan Dynasty. Historically, the Ming Dynasty had already been established, and the Northern Expedition had recovered Yan and Yun, driving the Yuan court to the border. Even so, the Prince of Liang still did not give up.

He even sent people from Yunnan, through Tibet and Qinghai, to Gansu, and finally to the grasslands, willing to take a long detour of thousands of miles to maintain contact with the Northern Yuan and continue to obey their orders.
Therefore, Lu Jin had no intention of trying to persuade such die-hards to surrender. In any case, sending envoys to persuade them to surrender would only bring shame upon himself, so he never sent an envoy to Yunnan.

In other words, Lu Jin's southern expedition was launched without any prior communication with Yunnan. He directly led a large army to the border, which can be considered an "undeclared war." From Yunnan's perspective, this was no less than a sneak attack, so they were naturally caught off guard.

Now, the main force of the Ming army, numbering 300,000, has crossed Guizhou and descended upon Yunnan like a divine army. Only now has the Prince of Liang realized what was happening, but it is already too late. Luoshan County, which has been captured by the Ming army, is less than 110 li away from Qujing, the gateway to Yunnan. Even if the route is longer due to the mountains and rivers, it will not be more than 200 li away.

At such a short distance, a journey of at most three to five days, the Liang King's side simply did not have time to react. And indeed, although Dalima had an army of 100,000, it was too late to advance and repel the enemy. He could only be forced to hold Qujing, hoping to use the natural barrier of Baishijiang to block the Ming army. However, this was just wishful thinking on his part.

The Ming Dynasty magistrate, who was with the army, quickly took control of Luoshan County with a battalion of agricultural settlers and immigrants, while the main force continued to advance towards Qujing without stopping.

On October 21, when the army crossed the main stream of the Nanpan River north of Qujing, Qujing had actually lost its most important line of defense. Compared with the truly natural barrier of the Nanpan River, the Baishi River was just a small river. This tributary of the Nanpan River was only 20 meters wide on average, and only about 50 meters wide at its widest point. How could such a 'small ditch' really stop the main force of hundreds of thousands of Ming troops?
On the west bank of the Nanpan River, Zhu Liangzu reined in his horse and stopped at the shore, watching hundreds of thousands of troops cross the river on the pontoon bridge. A moment later, he suddenly saw a group of people carrying the flag of the Eighth Imperial Guard Division, with soldiers pulling and pushing dozens of cannons slowly across the river. He immediately sent his personal guards to summon Yu Tongyuan, the commander of the Eighth Division.

The boy who was only 18 when he first met Lu Jin has now grown into a 24-year-old general who has experienced countless battles.

Upon hearing the messenger's summons, Yu Tongyuan immediately rode up to Zhu Liangzu and asked, "Commander, are you looking for me?"

"Hmm." Zhu Liangzu nodded, then immediately frowned and asked, "What were the artillery losses?"

Upon hearing this, Yu Tongyuan replied helplessly, "The two artillery regiments of the 7th and 8th Divisions have lost a total of seven 155mm heavy guns. Currently, there are still 121 light and heavy artillery pieces intact. My unit is currently escorting the artillery across the river."

"Have the seven lost cannons been properly disposed of?" Zhu Liangzu asked again.

"Commander, rest assured, I have deliberately destroyed six of the seven heavy cannons. The other one accidentally fell into the Wujiang River during the march in Guizhou, but I have already left people there to retrieve it and have notified General Hua of the 42nd Army guarding Guizhou. Once it is retrieved, it will also be destroyed. I guarantee that none of the cannons will be allowed to escape." Yu Tongyuan immediately reported.

Zhu Liangzu nodded, but he didn't blame anyone. It was just that the terrain in Guizhou was too bad, with endless mountains and rivers to cross. Moreover, it was damp and rainy, and the roads were slippery. Even with the help of the five chieftains, they still lost seven heavy cannons during the long march.

The Guizhou people's self-deprecating saying, "There are no three sunny days in a row, and no three miles of flat land," is not just a saying.

The seven lost heavy cannons either fell off cliffs during the march and could not be recovered in a short time, and there were concerns about the leakage of artillery technology. So the only option was to send artillerymen down by ropes to find the cannons and use an excessive amount of gunpowder to blow up the barrels. Or they fell into the river, and it was difficult to even destroy the cannons. So the only option was to send people to stay and salvage them.

Even so, this loss occurred despite the fact that the five chieftains sent a large number of guides and voluntarily lent the Ming army more than 4,000 cattle and more than 12,000 horses, mules and other livestock to help transport supplies. Without the help of these Guizhou chieftains, the Ming army's losses in Guizhou would probably have been even greater.

Thinking of this, Zhu Liangzu felt even more how important Lu Jin's suggestion to develop battalion-level small artillery was. The south is mountainous, and mountain warfare is really not suitable for heavy artillery.

Upon hearing that the two artillery regiments had lost only seven heavy cannons in total, Zhu Liangzu then spoke.

"When I returned to Beijing to receive my mission, I went to the Hanlin Academy to study in detail the process of how Kublai Khan destroyed the Dali Kingdom. I found that the Mongol army fought many easy battles. At that time, there were powerful ministers and treacherous officials in the Dali Kingdom. Dali had no main force or elite troops to defend it. The capital was very vulnerable. The elite troops controlled by the powerful ministers were scattered in various places."

"When the Mongol army attacked Longshou Pass, the Dali army abandoned the pass and fled, allowing the Mongol army to reach the city of Dali without any hindrance. Afterwards, the Dali army went out of the city to fight in the field, but was defeated by the Mongol army. The general and the prime minister abandoned the city and fled. The entire Dali Kingdom surrendered directly. Kublai Khan of Yuan took advantage of the situation and destroyed the Dali Kingdom without fighting any tough battles."

"But our attack on Dali is different now. Although the Dali Kingdom has been destroyed, the Duan family still controls Dali. I heard that they still have a lot of troops. They have no power to disrupt the country now. The capital is heavily fortified. I heard that the Longshou and Longwei passes have been repaired in recent years. If they are unwilling to submit, we will definitely have to launch a strong attack on Dali."

"To launch a strong attack on Dali, we will definitely need your artillery. The success or failure of this southern expedition depends on your two artillery regiments. Now that the army has crossed the Nanpan River, the road ahead will be somewhat easier than in Guizhou. Therefore, I demand that you do not lose any more artillery pieces. Do you understand?"

"Understood, Commander, rest assured, I guarantee I will complete the mission!" Yu Tongyuan immediately straightened up and assured him.

"Okay, I understand. Go back and continue commanding the troops to cross the river."

"Yes!"

On that day, the Ming army of more than 200,000 men crossed the Nanpan River, but did not continue to advance towards Qujing. Instead, they set up camp with their backs to the Nanpan River. However, their current location would be considered part of Zhanyi District of Qujing City in later generations, less than 30 miles from the ancient city of Qujing.

The reason for setting up camp here was twofold: firstly, there were no better places to camp further ahead; secondly, being too close to the enemy would make them vulnerable to night attacks. The Ming army had come all the way from Hunan, and Zhu Liangzu wanted the army to rest before engaging in battle.

Secondly, the location is backed by the Nanpan River, making it convenient for the army to obtain water. After all, the drinking water for more than 200,000 people is no small amount. Moreover, they are upstream while the Yuan army is downstream. There is no need to worry about the Yuan army poisoning the river or building dams to flood the Ming army. Therefore, this place is very safe. With the river behind them and the river as a natural barrier, the Ming army only needs to guard against the enemy on one side.

As expected, after learning that the Ming army had set up camp in Zhanyi with its back to the Nanpan River, the Yuan general Dalima in Qujing immediately abandoned his plan to launch a night attack. The main reason was that the two sides were too far apart, a full thirty li. Such a distance made it difficult to guarantee the surprise of a night attack. Perhaps the Yuan army's night attack troops would be discovered in advance by the scouts on the outskirts of the Ming army camp before they even got close.

Moreover, it's a distance of thirty li. If they set off too early, before it gets dark, they'll be easily spotted by the Ming army. If they set off after dark, it will probably be daytime by the time they reach their destination, making a night raid pointless. If they send cavalry directly, the Ming army will hold their camp and not come out, so the cavalry won't gain any advantage and might even be defeated by the superior Ming forces.

Left with no other choice, Dalima could only sigh and continue to hold his Baishijiang defense line, secretly lamenting that this Ming general was too cautious and didn't give him any chance at all.

Meanwhile, Zhu Liangzu, who was considered to have a steady fighting style, convened a meeting of his generals in the central command tent, intending to use a dirty trick on Dalima.

In the center of the large tent was a sand table of the Qujing area. To the north, the Baishi River meandered through the area, then turned south and joined the Xiaoxiang River. To the south, the Xiaoxiang River flowed from west to east and joined the Nanpan River. The core area of ​​Qujing was surrounded on three sides by these two rivers, forming a natural defensive line. Dali Ma's main force of 100,000 troops was deployed based on the Baishi River.

Zhu Liangzu briefed the audience on the current situation of both sides before saying, "Our army's reputation for being invincible is already well-known throughout the land. Therefore, when we attack Qujing tomorrow, we must carefully time our crossing of the river. If we cross too quickly, we will be unprepared; if we cross too slowly, we may expose our true intentions." Feng Sheng blinked upon hearing this and immediately asked, "Then what are the commander's true intentions?"

"Of course, we should use the orthodox method to engage and the unorthodox method to win," Zhu Liangzu immediately said. "When I went to the capital this time, His Majesty specifically instructed me that the key to the battle of Baishijiang is to choose a good crossing point. As long as we can successfully cross the river, our army will undoubtedly win."

"This river is only a dozen paces wide on average, and the water is of varying depths. In some shallow places, you can even wade across. Therefore, it is not a natural barrier. Moreover, our army currently has a numerical advantage, so there is no need to cross the river from any particular point."

"Firstly, crossing the river from one point is too slow and cannot take advantage of our superior numbers. The troops that cross first are also vulnerable to being outnumbered and attacked by the enemy halfway across. Meanwhile, the troops that follow can only watch from across the river and cannot help because they have not yet crossed."

"Secondly, if we take the initiative to divide our forces, the enemy will have to follow suit if they are not stupid. Otherwise, if we leave one side unattended, they will face the risk of being attacked from both sides by our army."

"Our army has more soldiers, so even if we split into two groups, we will still have the advantage in strength. The enemy has fewer soldiers, and their morale will inevitably plummet after they split up. After all, it is human instinct that the more people there are, the bolder they become, and the fewer people there are, the less bold they become. As long as we lure the enemy into splitting up, they will naturally lose confidence."

"Therefore, I have decided that our army will cross the river simultaneously from two locations. The fifth army group, along with all the civilian laborers, will serve as the main force and attack from the front (north) of the Baishi River. The sixth army group, led by Duke Lu (Liao Yongzhong), will attack from the east of the Baishi River as the eastern route army."

"We are currently less than 30 li away from Baishi River, within the range of our army's daily march. Tomorrow, we will approach slowly in battle formation, first compressing the enemy scouts to the south bank of Baishi River, and arriving at the riverbank at the beginning of Shenshi (3 pm) tomorrow."

"On the first day, there is no need to rush to cross the river. First, prepare a large amount of equipment for crossing the river and prepare to build a pontoon bridge. Also, do not fire any artillery on the first day. Hide the artillery first and give the enemy a surprise on the day of the official crossing."

"The Baishi River is only 20 meters wide, while our artillery can fire grapeshot at a range of 200 to 400 meters. We will first pretend to build a pontoon bridge, and the Yuan army will definitely come to the riverbank to stop us from building the bridge. Then, when we cross the river, we will lure the enemy into the range of our artillery grapeshot and kill them in large numbers. We will try to crush them with a single round of artillery fire. Then, our two main forces will take advantage of the situation to cross the river, cover up the enemy's retreating troops, and crush them in one battle!"

Upon hearing this, the generals' eyes lit up, and they exclaimed, "Brilliant!" After all, the Yuan army in Yunnan had not yet witnessed the power of the Ming army's artillery. This was a perfect opportunity for them to keep a secret, taking advantage of the Yuan army's surprise attack. They could then suddenly unleash the artillery to inflict heavy casualties on the Yuan army. In their panic, the Yuan army would be highly likely to collapse.

Even if they can't kill too many Yuan soldiers, just taking down some, it will at least cover the main force of the Ming army to cross the river at ease. After all, as long as they are within the range of the cannons, the Yuan army will not be able to effectively stop the Ming army from building pontoon bridges.

Upon hearing this, Feng Sheng asked, "That's the right thing to do, but where is the surprise force the commander mentioned?"

"At this."

Zhu Liangzu pointed his baton upstream of the Baishi River, towards what would later become Jiejiatou Village and the Third People's Hospital of Qujing City. Here, the Baishi River meanders, forming a zigzag bend towards the south bank. The river is narrow, located upstream, and the water level isn't very high, making it a suitable place to cross. Crucially, this location is several miles from his main battlefield.

Zhu Liangzu then explained, "Our main force will launch a large-scale attack from the north and east, which will definitely attract the attention of the enemy's main force. The enemy may not expect that we will have a third crossing point."

"Then we can send a surprise force to flank the enemy from behind, and hide behind enemy lines. When the main force officially crosses the river to launch a strong attack, even if the enemy is not brought to a standstill by the artillery fire, this surprise force can suddenly appear behind the enemy, putting them in a pincer attack. Under this two-pronged attack, the enemy will surely be wiped out in one battle."

"Brilliant! So, who should we send with this surprise force?" Feng Sheng asked again.

Zhu Liangzu said, "We don't need too many surprise troops, just one division is enough."

Upon hearing this, Yu Tongyuan immediately volunteered, saying, "Then let my Eighth Imperial Guard Division go."

Zhu Liangzu glanced at him and immediately refused, saying, "If you go, who will command the artillery? You're not up to the task."

“Why not? At worst, I won’t bring the artillery. I’ll leave the artillery regiment commander behind and only take Zhang Dingbian’s vanguard regiment and a musketeer regiment. I guarantee we’ll crush the enemy from the rear,” Yu Tongyuan volunteered again.

Zhu Liangzu hesitated upon hearing this, but just then, Gao Yao, the chief instructor of the Second Front Army, suddenly spoke.

"The Marquis of Huaiyin (Yu Tongyuan) is still so young, and he is one of the few generals in our army who is skilled in artillery. After this war, His Majesty will vigorously develop the artillery. It is precisely the time when the court needs people. You cannot go."

Upon hearing this, everyone looked at Yu Tongyuan. After thinking for a moment, Yu Tongyuan nodded helplessly and returned to the queue.

In fact, Gao Yao's underlying meaning was that the four members of the Yu family, father and sons, now have three dukes and one marquis. Yu Tingyu, Yu Tonghai, and Yu Tongyuan are all dukes, and you yourself are a marquis. Why are you competing with others for military merits?
Besides, your Yu family has such great influence in the army. A mission like this, which is said to be a great achievement, is also very dangerous. If something happens to you, how are we supposed to explain it to your father and two brothers?

Feng Sheng glanced at everyone but remained silent. He was the commander-in-chief of the Fifth Army Group and the third-ranking general in the Second Front Army. He was the highest-ranking general after the commander and deputy commander. This time, he led a large army from Fujian to Hunan to assemble. The emperor had specifically appointed him to command the army, clearly indicating that he was being groomed to become a general.

After the battle of Yunnan is over, Zhu Liangzu will return to the capital and be enfeoffed as a king. Feng Sheng will then succeed Zhu Liangzu in his position. Therefore, Feng Sheng did not take the initiative to take on this task. Such things as launching surprise attacks from behind should be done by brave lieutenants and deputy generals. Why would the commander send himself to carry out a surprise attack?

In the end, it was Deputy Commander Liao Yongzhong who directly appointed the generals. He looked at the two division commanders of his 50th Army, Hu Hai and Zhang Shicheng. Zhang Shicheng immediately shrank back. This guy was an opportunist. He was only good at following the lead when things were going well. He never volunteered for the dangerous tasks.

Liao Yongzhong frowned, knowing what kind of person Zhang Shicheng was. He then looked at the two division commanders of the 51st Army, Mao Gui and Xue Xian, who were his true generals. Of course, Hu Hai was not bad either. Of the four division commanders, only Zhang Shicheng was a scoundrel.

So he immediately named Xue Xian, saying, "You take your 129th Division to lead this surprise attack."

"Yes, sir! Your subordinate obeys." Xue Xian immediately stepped forward to receive the order, then looked at Zhu Liangzu and asked, "May I ask, Commander, if I may take a few small cannons with me?"

Zhu Liangzu nodded. "Okay, I'll give you six light howitzers. What else do you need?"

"I need another 5000 grenades, and I guarantee I'll complete the mission!" Xue Xian immediately puffed out his chest and said.

"Approved, but you need to start preparing now. You must set off before dawn tomorrow, and do not travel with the main force to avoid being discovered by the enemy. Also, do not rush to cross the river. Wait until the night before the main force officially crosses the river, and then cross the river quietly. Once you are discovered before the general offensive, your surprise force will be useless. Do you understand?"

"Understood, I guarantee I'll complete the mission!" Xue Xian immediately agreed.

(End of this chapter)