Di Ming

Chapter 485 The Burmese Royal City is truly incredibly wealthy!
This time, Zhu Yin brought hundreds of artillery pieces with shells weighing over 12 jin (approximately 6 kg) each. Among them, there were over a hundred heavy artillery pieces with shells weighing 30 jin (approximately 15 kg) each. Each piece weighed over 2,000 jin (approximately 1,000 kg) and required four or five mules to pull it, which was already the limit of field transport.

This is second only to ship-mounted cannons and city defense armies in terms of field artillery. Although it is indeed very inconvenient to transport, its power is also astonishing, with a range of up to six miles. It is absolutely the most powerful field and siege weapon in the world today.

Hundreds of field cannons roared together, the booming sound like the collapse of the sky and the splitting of the earth, as if even the royal city of Myanmar was trembling in the loud noise.

"Boom--!"

In an instant, a large cloud of dark smoke rose from the Jinghai Navy artillery formation, obscuring the Ming army's ranks.

Solid cannonballs, each weighing thirty pounds, ripped through the sky with a chilling whistling sound, descending upon the city walls like a thunderbolt.

The walls of Bago were instantly covered by the Ming army's terrifying artillery fire. Even the buildings inside the city were not spared.

"Ah—" A chorus of screams rang out, and amidst flying debris and flying flesh and blood, large groups of Burmese were bombarded and killed or wounded.

Amidst terrified screams, the sound of the city wall collapsing filled the air.

Even the sturdy stone walls could hardly withstand a salvo from so many heavy cannons!
With a loud crash, several meters of the city wall collapsed, revealing a huge gap on the top of the wall. Bricks and stones crashed into the moat below—the Bago River—splashing up a large amount of water.

Even the few Portuguese heavy cannons that the defenders had were destroyed by the Ming army's salvo of heavy artillery fire. One of the defenders' heavy cannons even fell into the moat below as the city wall collapsed!
At least five hundred defenders were killed or wounded under the shelling, many of them torn to pieces, their screams deafening.

"Boom boom—" The Western-style cannons in the Burmese royal city also roared in resentment.

However, these medium-sized Western cannons were out of range to reach the Ming army, and were simply a waste of ammunition.

When the Black Elephant Prince and other nobles saw how powerful the Ming army's cannons were, they were stunned and dumbfounded.

What's going on? Why are the Ming army's cannons more powerful than the Westerners' cannons? That can't be right.

The Burmese had fought the Ming army for many years and were very familiar with the Ming army's firearms. Although the Ming army had a considerable number of firearms, their power and range were inferior to those of Western firearms, so they were nothing special.

This is why they still held onto hope in defending the capital. Although the Ming army had a large force, with the powerful Western cannons on the city walls, it would be very difficult for them to attack. They could hold out for at least ten days to half a month, giving them a chance to hold out until the main army returned home.

But they never expected that the Ming army's cannons would be so powerful, even more ferocious than the foreigners' cannons!
How can this city be defended then? If I had known, I should have surrendered without hesitation.

For a moment, even the monks who were chanting sutras to avert disaster temporarily forgot their rituals under the world-destroying roar, staring in disbelief at the heavily wounded and dead defenders.

Buddha!
"Boom boom boom——"

Before the Burmese could recover from their shock and fear, the Ming army unleashed a second barrage of artillery fire.

The defending troops were facing utter annihilation.

Amid screams and cries of terror, the sound of the city wall collapsing again followed, "Crash—"

The Ming army's attack was methodical and unhurried, with a clear rhythm.

Two volleys of heavy artillery rained down, while other cannons—not large siege guns, but lighter, medium-sized ones—were pushed to the front lines. The gunners skillfully loaded ammunition and expertly aimed at the densely packed areas of the city gates and walls.

"put!"

With a deafening roar, cannonballs whistled as they crashed against the city walls, sending bricks and stones flying. Amidst the carnage and screams of agony, the Burmese army, though aided by foreigners, possessed virtually no decent long-range firepower. Their sporadic arrows and arquebuses proved utterly ineffective against the Ming army's artillery barrage.

The defending troops suffered heavy casualties under the long-range firepower of the Ming army, and their morale was shattered, while the Ming army did not suffer a single casualty.

Qin Liangyu is right. This is hardly a war. The disparity in strength between the two sides is too great.

The Black Elephant Prince and his men were filled with rage and despair, but there was nothing they could do.

Finished!

After several rounds of artillery fire, the golden roof of the city gate tower had been leveled, and a section of the parapet on the city wall had been completely destroyed.

From the Ming army's lines, the bugle call to command the vanguard infantry to attack the city sounded, "Woo-woo-woo—"

"Kill the chicken! Go away!"

"Onboard!"

Several thousand Japanese soldiers, dressed in the finest Ming army armor, led the attack on the city under the supervision of Han Chinese generals.

Behind them were more Japanese soldiers serving in the Ming army. Following them were the surrendered Cuan family soldiers, and finally, the Han Chinese troops brought up the rear.

Japanese soldiers armed with shields and swords, under the cover of artillery fire, charged the city walls, jumped into the moat, and then climbed back up to attack the city.

The real battle has begun.

The moat was almost filled in by the collapsed city wall, and the city gate was blasted open. The Japanese soldiers of the Ming Dynasty charged forward frantically, each one as if they had been injected with chicken blood.

"Block the city gates! Block the city gates!" Prince Black Elephant roared in despair, leading a group of palace guards and forcing the defenders forward with scimitars in hand. "No retreat! No retreat!"

With bloodshot eyes, he plunged a knife into the back of a fleeing militiaman, shouting viciously, "Those who run away die! Kill them!"

"Cowards who run away will fall into the deepest hell after death! Kill! Hold the city gates!" "You! You are all warriors blessed by Buddha! You are warriors of my great White Elephant Kingdom! You cannot retreat!"

Even more fearless were the monk soldiers, wielding monk knives, their bald heads and upper bodies covered with Buddhist scriptures and runes, roaring Buddhist chants as they charged toward the city gate.

With these monk soldiers taking the lead, they finally spurred more resistance from the defending troops.

Although the Burmese troops defending the city put up a resistance, it was not a firm one. These hastily assembled defenders were not Burmese elites, and faced with the fierce attack of the Japanese Ming army, many of the young and strong militiamen once again took the lead in retreating.

Only monks and a few nobles' personal guards were fighting fiercely, shouting battle horns in Burmese, trying to hold the line.

But it was clear that it was no longer of any use.

A Japanese soldier was the first to scale a section of the city wall, slaying two Burmese militiamen in succession before leaping into the city. More and more Japanese soldiers from the Ming Dynasty roared as they charged into the city.

With a deafening roar, the garrison blocking the city gate completely collapsed. Large groups of Japanese Ming soldiers and Cuan Yi soldiers stormed into Pegu City.

The city has fallen!
The immense panic instantly plunged the entire city into despair. The monks who were performing curses near the city gate also scattered in all directions.

Chaos reigned in the city. The cries of the Burmese, the chanting of monks, and the sounds of fighting mingled together.

Prince Mangzhuo of the Black Elephant, surrounded by palace guards, attempted to organize a street battle, but where was the possibility?

The trend is over!

They originally thought that with their Western cannons, they could hold out for at least ten days or half a month, but to their surprise, the Ming army broke through their defenses in less than an hour!
Mang Zhuo and the others felt as if they were in a nightmare, still unable to believe what was happening.

Is the capital of the Great White Elephant Kingdom about to fall into the hands of the Ming army?

Buddha!
The remaining Burmese army resistance quickly crumbled in the streets and alleys. Most of the Burmese nobles retreated into the palace, or ran around aimlessly like headless flies, but it was impossible to leave the city, so they could only hide in the palace as well.

The Ming army did not storm the palace, but instead surrounded it. Most of the nobles in the capital were now trapped.

Seeing that defeat was inevitable, Mang Zhuo attempted to break out of the palace through the back gate under the protection of his personal guards, but was intercepted by a group of Japanese Ming soldiers and was unable to get out.

At this moment, more Ming troops entered the city.

Bago, the capital of the Great White Elephant Kingdom (as Myanmar calls itself), a once prosperous metropolis in Southeast Asia, has now become a living hell, a scene of utter devastation.

For many years, the Burmese have been waging wars in the east and west, invading the Ming Dynasty in the north and Siam in the east. Wherever they went, they were arrogant and domineering, and they committed heavy killings. They called themselves the "overlords of the land of gold." In the past, they were the ones who slaughtered others, but today they are tasting the bitterness of being slaughtered!
The cycle of cause and effect, retribution is unhappy.

As the golden rays of the setting sun bathed the countless golden roofs of the pagodas in Bago, and the red sun and crescent moon dragon flag of the Ming Dynasty was already flying atop the city walls, the Regent's order finally reached the city: Cease the killing.

That's it, I'm shelving this time.

At a single command, even the Japanese soldiers of the Ming army, who were most fond of killing, obediently put away their swords.

The orders of the people of the world must never be disobeyed.

From this day forward, the ferocity of the Ming army will thoroughly shock the entire Southeast Asia and the entire Kim region (the indigenous name for the Indochina Peninsula)!
Zhu Yin, escorted by his personal guards, rode into the capital city, which was filled with the smell of gunpowder and blood.

The doors and windows on both sides of the street were tightly shut. The surviving natives peered through the cracks at the brutal and terrifying Ming army, their faces expressionless and utterly dejected.

The Ming army had already taken control of the treasury, the palace, and other key locations.

Soon, Zhu Yin entered the palace. The luxurious gold and silver utensils, ivory carvings, and magnificent Burmese brocades inside the palace remained, but the Burmese royal family and nobles who had taken refuge in the palace had become prisoners and were brought before Zhu Yin.

The mother of the Burmese king, Mang Zhuo, the queen, the princes, the concubines, and a large group of high-ranking nobles, totaling more than 3,000 people, all looked miserable and dejected.

The Queen Mother of Burma was so frightened that she fainted, though it's unclear whether she was faking it.

A large, dark mass of high-ranking prisoners were led to kneel in the palace square. Zhu Yin himself, however, sat high on the Burmese king's throne, inlaid with gold and jewels.

He sat on his throne, looking down at the Burmese nobles, waving his hand as if shooing away flies.

Zhu Yin was too lazy to argue with them and didn't want to say a word to them. He ordered them all to be locked up in a nearby, empty Buddhist temple, turning it into a concentration camp to temporarily hold prisoners.

Even the chieftains of other tribes, such as the Meng tribe, were all imprisoned.

Next came the inventory of the palace, warehouses, and temples' property, which was then registered under strict supervision.

This time, after capturing the Burmese capital, a city rich in gold and silver, the spoils were incalculable.

Fortunately, there were readily available account books to consult, and by evening, a thick stack of account books was presented to Zhu Yin.

Zhu Yin opened these account books, and even though he had made a fortune many times before, he couldn't help but get excited and almost burst out laughing three times!

The rewards of conquering the capital of a powerful regional state are truly different.

The royal city of Myanmar is incredibly wealthy!
...

P.S.: I'm really not feeling well today and don't have the energy to update, so I'll stop here. Thank you, and goodnight!
(End of this chapter)