Di Ming

Chapter 488 Drinking Water from the Irrawaddy River!
"Ah—" the messenger screamed and died on the spot.

He took over the last post at the post station, galloping a hundred miles to deliver the message, only to be killed by the enraged king.

Mang Yingli, carrying the blood-stained precious sword, saw the messenger's unseeing eyes and then looked at the handwritten letter from his younger brother, the Black Elephant King, in his hand. He was as if waking from a dream, his expression filled with horror.

With the fall of the capital, the Ming army has already penetrated into the heart of the mainland!

Inside the main tent, the nobles, civil officials, and generals who had accompanied the Burmese king on his expedition against the Ming Dynasty were all silent with fear!

They were stunned when they heard the news.

Pegu City...has it fallen into the hands of the Ming army?
The three members of the Burmese royal family had the most unpleasant expressions.

Mangyungli's younger brother, the Peacock King, Minye Jueting. Mangyungli's paternal uncle, the Marquis of Bimyo, Dedaduo. Mangyungli's nephew, the Marquis of Dongyu, Sumeng.

These three generals from the royal family were filled with shock and anger upon hearing the news of the fall of the capital and the entry of the Ming army.

Even the civil officials and ministers loyal to Mangyungri, such as Grand Chancellor Yemananda, Minister of Taxation Vidhara, and the Sangha King Zhiguang, looked at each other with alarm.

Something terrible is happening!

Even the Western generals, such as Colonel Guterres, Lieutenant Colonel Debris, and Major Suarez, looked at each other with extremely solemn expressions.

Did the Ming army arrive by fleet? Did they land at Bago Bay? How many troops came?
However, the tribal leaders who were subdued by Burma's military force had different thoughts.

The Mon chief Galasa and the Shan chief Mansa... both looked shocked, but they didn't really care.

The chieftains of Cheli, Daonuo Meng, and Mubang, who originally belonged to the Six Wei of the Ming Dynasty, were secretly delighted and gloating.

Haha, Mangyingli, do you think killing the messenger will conceal the news and stabilize the morale of the army?

useless!
At this moment, Dao Nuomeng, Han Jinzhong, and the others wanted to burst into laughter, praising the Ming Dynasty in their hearts.

The resentment they had felt for the Ming Dynasty's failure to provide aid in previous years, which led to their conquest and annexation by Burma, has now vanished.

The Celestial Empire is indeed reliable!
"Brother King!" King Minye Jue Ting broke the silence first, "Is the military intelligence true?"

Mang Yingli handed over the letter, somewhat dejectedly. "The letter is a personal letter from Mang Zhuo, the Empress Dowager, and the Queen. It can't be fake. And there's also the report from the Marquis of Awa. The matter... is true."

The Burmese king's voice trembled slightly. All the arrogance and pride he had possessed over the years had vanished, replaced only by an unprecedented fear.

The fall of Wangjing and the mainland to the Ming army was something neither he nor his army could bear.

too frightening.

Why didn't I think of Zhu Yin coming from the sea? Although the sea route is very long, Zheng He had sailed there before!
Why did I overlook this point?

why!
I was careless, so very careless.

For decades, starting from the Jiajing era of the Ming Dynasty, the former emperor attacked the Mengyang and Mubang Pacification Commissions, which originally belonged to the Ming Dynasty. The Ming emperors merely sent envoys to protest and make a show of force, while watching the former emperor conquer Mengyang and Mubang and subdue Laos, Babai, Diwula and other Pacification Commissions, without doing anything or being able to do anything about it.

When the late king conquered Siam, the Ming Dynasty, fearing his military might, retreated. By the time he ascended the throne, the territory had expanded to the Eight Passes region, and the Three Xuan and Six Wei regions of the Ming Dynasty were almost entirely under the control of the Great White Elephant Kingdom.

The late king and I fought intermittently against the Ming Dynasty for forty years. The so-called Celestial Empire suffered more defeats than victories and was forced to react passively, watching helplessly as the Great White Elephant Kingdom grew stronger and stronger.

On his deathbed, the late king pointed north, still thinking of conquering Yunnan of the Ming Dynasty so that he could carry on his legacy.

Therefore, over the years, people throughout the country, from themselves to nobles to soldiers, have developed a sense of contempt for the Ming Dynasty, believing that the Ming Dynasty has the name of the Celestial Empire but not the power of the Celestial Empire, and is all talk and no action.

It was precisely because of this contempt for the Ming Dynasty that he disregarded the emptiness of his homeland and recklessly mobilized all the elite troops in the country to personally lead an expedition to Yunnan while the Ming Dynasty was divided between the north and south, intending to conquer Yunnan and Guizhou and take control of the southwestern part of the Ming Dynasty!

Who knew that Zhu Yin would lead a large army across the sea and launch a surprise attack on the poorly defended homeland!
At this moment, King Mang Yingli of Burma was filled with remorse and wished he could slap himself twice.

Of course, his regret was not that he personally led the expedition against the Ming Dynasty, but that he was careless and underestimated the enemy, failing to anticipate that Zhu Yin would take the sea route to launch a surprise attack on the rear.

Thinking of the Ming army's killing, burning, and looting in the capital and the mainland, thinking of his empress dowager, queen, concubines, and children falling into Zhu Yin's hands, and thinking of the gold and silver mountains of the capital being plundered by the Ming army, Mang Yingli was so distressed that he felt like he was suffocating.

I can't wait to lead my army back home!

Zhu Yin, I will skin you alive and feed your flesh to the lions!
Mang Yingli gripped the hilt of his sword tightly, his cheeks clenched so hard they were ridged, and his face was frighteningly pale. He exuded an aura that kept strangers at bay, and not only his ministers and generals, but even his own younger brother, the Peacock King, couldn't help but take a step back, not daring to get too close to his elder brother.

"Your Majesty the Lion King!" said the trusted general Tuo Ruotu, bowing. "Your loyal guard and servant Tuo Ruotu believes that we cannot abandon our territory just because we are hunting. Your Majesty, it is time to withdraw the troops and return home!"

Based on Burmese tradition, the Burmese king has more than a dozen titles, and different people address him in different ways. For example, soldiers in the military generally refer to the Burmese king as the "Lion King".

“Your Majesty,” Master Zhiguang, the leader of the Sangha, echoed, “General Tuo Ruotu is right. The Ming army has already invaded our country, but our defenses are weak. The army should return home immediately and not allow the pure land of Buddhism to be defiled by the demon king.”

This living Buddha, known as the King of the Sangha and the chief judge of the Sangha Court, was no longer as composed as before.

He thought of the magnificent temples in the capital, the warehouses overflowing with treasure, and the young girls kept in secret chambers... all of which could fall into the hands of the Ming army. He temporarily forgot the wisdom and transcendence in the Jataka and became extremely panicked.

Grand Chancellor Yemananda quickly said, "Your Majesty, we should stop attacking Yunnan and immediately return to the capital! The sooner the army returns, the sooner we can defeat Zhu Yin."

"Your Majesty, King White Elephant!" The Meng tribe leader, Galasa, also made a statement, half-jokingly, "For the sake of the Great White Elephant Kingdom, and to rescue the royal family and subjects, we beg Your Majesty to withdraw your troops and return home!"

As the leader of the Mon people, Galasa was naturally dissatisfied with the Burmese rule, but he genuinely cared about the safety of the royal family.

Because both the Queen Mother and the Queen were Mon people. The Burmese courted the Mon people through marriage alliances, with Mon noblewomen marrying into the Burmese royal family for generations.

The advice given by the Cheli chieftain Dao Nuomeng and the Mubang chieftain Han Jinzhong was merely a pretense:

"Your Majesty, for the sake of my great White Elephant Kingdom, please withdraw your troops and return home. The army cannot stay here any longer. Defeating Zhu Yin is the most important thing."

Even Gutt solemnly suggested, "Your Majesty, given the drastic changes in the battlefield situation and the enemy's invasion by sea, I, on behalf of the Western Advisory Group, recommend that we immediately abandon the gains we are about to achieve and withdraw our troops back home!"

He removed his military cap and gave an elegant salute. "Your Majesty, I know this is a difficult decision for any commander, but we have no choice but to withdraw our troops with great regret."

King Mangye of Burma let out a heavy sigh, "I was about to conquer Feilong Pass, but in the end, all my efforts have been in vain!"

He clenched his fists. "This is a trap that Zhu Yin set up long ago! He deliberately let our army enter Yunnan so that he could take the opportunity to launch a surprise attack on our country! He is a despicable and shameless man!"

He had never met Zhu Yin, but at this moment he hated Zhu Yin to the core.

"Your Majesty," the Marquis of Bemyuddda suddenly spoke, "besides immediately withdrawing the troops, there are two other things to do."

As an uncle of the Burmese royal family, Deda was not only of high seniority but also a famous wise man in Burma, highly trusted by the Burmese king. In fact, he was the chief strategist of Mangyung.

"Uncle, please speak." Mang Yingli's tone softened when facing Deda.

Deda said with a solemn expression, "Your Majesty, the things we need to worry about right now, besides the Ming army that has seized the capital, are also King Naresuan of Siam!"

"Although Siam was defeated by our army, Naresuan is not a simple man. He still has tens of thousands of elite troops, who are sharpening their swords and preparing for revenge."

Mang Yingli frowned, his deep-set eyes flashing with a cold light. "Does Uncle Wang mean that if he hears the news of the Ming army's sneak attack on our country, he will definitely take the opportunity to launch an attack and join forces with the Ming army to attack our army?"

Deda nodded. "Your Majesty, this was bound to happen. Naresuan is a cunning tiger cub; how could he let this opportunity pass? Besides, Siam has always been respectful to the Ming Dynasty and has never ceased paying tribute. This old minister suspects that Naresuan has already sent envoys to see Zhu Yin, and perhaps even..."

“Even what?” Mang Yingli asked in a chilling tone.

Deda smiled wryly, "Even Nari Xuan himself will personally go to pay his respects to Zhu Yin. This man is agile and cunning; how could he possibly pass up this opportunity to curry favor with Zhu Yin?"

"He's courting death!" Mang Yingli sneered. "Once I've dealt with Zhu Yin, I'll take care of him first! Na Lixuan placed his bet so early; he'll regret it so much he'll want to die!"

Deda sighed, “That’s right. Our Great White Elephant Kingdom has a large army and many generals, and we are fighting on our home soil. Zhu Yin is no match for us, and the Ming army will surely be defeated. Naresuan’s bet at this time was indeed a bit too early. But it is precisely because she bet early that she can win Zhu Yin’s favor.”

"Your Majesty," the old minister said, "I believe that Naresuan's strength should not be underestimated. To prevent him from joining forces with Zhu Yin, Your Majesty should immediately write a letter to win Naresuan over, agreeing to transform Burma and Siam into friends and brotherly nations, and to return Chiang Mai, Lampang, and Kamphaeng Phet provinces—these three provinces were originally Siamese territory. Furthermore, promise to marry the princess to him..."

"No!" Mang Yingli's face darkened. "The Three Prefectures are territory conquered by the late king! How can I cede the Three Prefectures just to appease Nali Xuan! Uncle, I cannot agree to this!"

Deda was utterly speechless. "Your Majesty," he thought, "if you're unwilling to return the three provinces, can't the King of Siam take them back himself? By not returning the three provinces, aren't you forcing Siam to join forces with the Ming army?"

But Mang Yingli continued, "What is Nali Xuan? He's just a cowardly loser! What right does he have to marry my princess! A lion king's daughter will not marry a pig or a dog!"

"Uncle, I will absolutely not agree to ceding territory or marrying off my daughter! The Great White Elephant Kingdom has more than 200,000 elite troops. What if they join forces? At worst, we'll just wipe them out!"

"Besides, Narixuan is a despicable person, unworthy to be the ruler. Even if he takes back the three palaces and marries my princess, does that mean he will necessarily obey and form an alliance? It's hard to say!"

Deda shook his head inwardly and could only bring up the second matter: "Since Your Majesty is unwilling to make peace and form an alliance with Siam, then we can only rely on the King of Annam, Zheng!"

"At present, among the countries in the Jindi (Indochina Peninsula), apart from Your Majesty, the Zheng Zhu of Annam is the strongest, with no less than 100,000 elite troops, and his strength is even greater than that of Naresuan."

"Meanwhile, the Zheng ruler is taking advantage of the situation to attack Guangxi, which is now also an enemy state of the Ming Dynasty. Your Majesty should immediately send an envoy to Thang Long Prefecture to meet with the Zheng ruler, persuade him to stop attacking the Ming, and instead advance westward to join forces with our army to deal with Zhu Yin and Naresuan!"

“In that case, even if Zhu Yin and Naresuan join forces, our army will have the Vietnamese army as an ally, and the two armies will fight a decisive battle in Burma!” Mang Yingli was immediately tempted. “Will Zheng Song agree?”

Deda nodded: "Your Majesty, rest assured, Zheng Song will definitely agree! Firstly, our two countries are related by marriage, and Zheng's daughter has already married Your Majesty's son. With the fall of the capital, her daughter will surely fall into the hands of the Ming army."

"Secondly, if Zheng Song knew that Zhu Yin had gone to Burma and was aware of the situation in our country, how could he possibly attack Guangxi again? Wasn't he afraid that if our army was defeated by Zhu Yin, he would become Zhu Yin's next target?"

“The two countries are already allied. Given Zheng Song’s character, as long as we explain the advantages and disadvantages, he will definitely turn around and attack Zhu Yin. After all, once Zhu Yin dies, the Southern Ming will be in chaos, and the Guangdong and Guangxi regions will be easy to obtain. He won’t need to put in any effort to take them into his hands.”

“Good!” Mang Yingli nodded. “I will write a letter to Zheng Song immediately.”

He immediately wrote a personal letter and had it sent to Thang Long Province in Annam as soon as possible.

Next, Mangye Rinpoche issued an edict to the tribal leaders of Rakhine and Myitkyina:
"I, the Dharma King of the Three Realms, Lord of the White Elephant, Holy King of the Lion, Brother of the Sun... overlook all nations and issue this decree..."

This means dispatching tribal troops from Rakhine and Myitkyina to march south to Ava to help fight against the Ming army.

He also had 30,000 elite troops in the Baguan area, which were the garrison forces left to suppress the Mengyang tribe. They were also mobilized this time.

In this way, his army would exceed 200,000, far surpassing the Ming army!

Soon, the royal order to withdraw the troops was delivered.

Immediately afterwards, a series of muffled yet unusually rapid gong sounds rang out from the core of the Burmese army camp, quite different from the drums and horns used for an attack!

The 170,000-strong Burmese army broke camp together, retreating like a receding tide with immense reluctance.

King Mangye Ri, riding his imperial elephant, looked back at the Lancang River, where tens of thousands of soldiers had been lost, his eyes filled with bitterness.

"I, the Emperor!" Mang Yingli gazed at the sky. "I swear to Buddha, I will one day return victorious! I will cross the Lancang River!"

"Withdraw troops!"

The thunderous footsteps of war elephants and horses, like a rolling thunderclap, gradually faded into the distance.

……

The Burmese army has retreated!
The Burmese army's offensive not only stopped at the last moment, but also retreated suddenly and mysteriously.

Even an idiot would know that something terrible must have happened in Myanmar.

At Feilong Pass, the exhausted garrison soldiers stared blankly at the opposite bank.

Hao Yunlai took a sudden step forward, gripping the cold crenellations tightly with both hands, and strained to see into the distance. He saw dust rising slightly behind the Burmese army camp, and the Burmese king's white elephant and blue lion banner was indeed receding into the distance.

"What happened?" Mu Changzuo and the others rushed to Hao Yunlai's side, filled with surprise and doubt.

"Could it be that the Regent has arrived in Myanmar...?"

Hao Yunlai didn't answer. He suppressed his excitement, staring intently at the opposite bank, analyzing every possibility. Was it reinforcements? Internal strife? Or yet another of Mang Yingli's schemes?
Suddenly, Hao Yunlai burst into laughter, his voice echoing throughout Feilong Pass.

"Hahaha!"

"It must be! It must be!"

"The Regent must have already captured the Burmese capital!"

Hao Yunlai's eyes filled with tears. "Child Tiger, Child Tiger, you didn't break your promise! You didn't break your promise! You really did it! You actually landed in Myanmar and raided the Burmese's stronghold!"

"Deceive the heavens and cross the sea! Besiege Wei to rescue Zhao! Wait for the enemy to tire themselves out! Lure the enemy troops a thousand miles away! Brilliant!"

Everyone was both surprised and delighted to hear Hao Yunlai's affirmation.

The Regent has arrived in Myanmar!

Judging from the Burmese king's hasty withdrawal, the regent must have captured the Burmese capital!

Hahaha! God bless the Ming Dynasty! God bless the Ming Dynasty!

Hao Yunlai was overjoyed and shouted, "Send word to the three armies: His Highness the Regent's army has captured the Burmese capital! The Burmese king has withdrawn his troops to reinforce Yunnan, and Yunnan is saved!"

"All of you soldiers have defended Yunnan for half a year and are all meritorious! I will report to the Regent and reward you accordingly!"

When the news spread, the Ming army of all ethnic groups cheered and were overjoyed.

"God bless the Ming Dynasty! God bless the Ming Dynasty!"

"The Ming Dynasty will surely prevail! Long live the Regent!"

Tens of thousands of soldiers shouted together, and even the wounded soldiers shouted together, creating a deafening roar.

Hao Yunlai, Chen Yongbin, and others couldn't help but shed tears when they heard the shouts of soldiers from all ethnic groups.

The setting sun, like blood, bathed the piles of corpses and ruined fortresses in the Lancang River Gorge in an eerie and somber crimson glow.

What was clearly a desolate battlefield was now enveloped in immense joy at having escaped from a desperate situation.

Hao Yunlai, full of vigor, then gave the order: "Rest for three days. After three days, I will select 20,000 elite troops to follow the Burmese army into Burma and join forces with the Regent!"

"The enemy can go, so can I!"

His eyes gleamed. "I suspect that the Annamese ruler, Zheng, will lead his army westward to join forces with the Burmese army against the Ming dynasty's army!"

"Then let's have a decisive battle in Myanmar and settle the score in one fell swoop!"

He thought to himself, "Madam, I'm finally going back alive. Your rank will be promoted again. It won't be long before we're reunited."

……

Meanwhile, the Burmese king withdrew his troops from the Lancang River and arrived at Baguan a few days later, where he joined forces with the 30,000 Burmese troops stationed there, bringing his army to 200,000 once again.

Among them were 1,000 heavily armored war elephants, 2,000 lightly armored war elephants, 5,000 elephant guard cavalry, 5,000 heavily armored cavalry, 15,000 horse archers, and 15,000 arquebusiers.

The various cavalry units alone numbered a terrifying 40,000!

There were also 15,000 pure infantry musketeers and more than 500 cannons of various sizes!

Such military might is something few countries in the world today can match.

Unfortunately, the marching speed of the 200,000-strong army was too slow, so Mang Yingli ordered the capture of tens of thousands of Ming people and people of various ethnicities to be used as military slaves to transport supplies and speed up the march.

Along the way, the corpses of fallen soldiers and slaves were everywhere. Wherever the Burmese army went, villages of all ethnic groups were deserted and littered with dead bodies.

The Burmese army was brutal when it first marched in, and it is even more brutal now that it is withdrawing.

This back-and-forth caused immense suffering to the Ming Dynasty's borders, resulting in hundreds of thousands of deaths and injuries.

Many small tribes have already perished, suffering the calamity of extermination.

When the Burmese army retreated to Mengding City to rest, they ordered a massacre of the city's inhabitants. More than 10,000 people of various ethnic groups in Mengding City were all driven to the banks of the Zhali River and massacred, turning the river red with blood.

People of all ethnic groups regard the Burmese army as if they were snakes or scorpions, and flee into the mountains and forests at the mere sight of them.

Unable to find any Ming Dynasty civilians, the Burmese army simply set fire to villages, polluting wells and rivers.

Extremely insidious and vicious!

……

Ava City.

Just as Mang Yingli was making an emergency withdrawal, Zhu Yin's army swept through the heart of Myanmar as if it were empty, capturing Ava, Myanmar's largest city, without lifting a finger!

Horses drink from Myanmar's largest river: the Irrawaddy.

The Ming Dynasty regent entered Ava and leisurely awaited the return of the Burmese army!

...

P.S.: That's all for today, thanks for your support! Please vote with monthly tickets! Goodnight! Also, at this time in history, Burma was defeated by Siamese leader Naresuan and fell into a period of decline. However, historically, Burma quickly rose again within a few years and became even stronger. Therefore, Burma was a formidable opponent, the dominant power in Central and Southern China at the time, and not a pushover.

(End of this chapter)