Di Ming

Chapter 499 A crushing defeat!
In fact, Zhu Yin's best tactic was to continue using the terrain to besiege the Burmese army for another two months until the Burmese army was completely cut off from supplies.

However, Zhu Yin could no longer wait.

Because the rainy season in Myanmar is approaching. The rainy season is extremely unfavorable for the Northern Army, and its firearms will be greatly affected.

Moreover, intelligence indicated that the Western coalition, mainly composed of Spanish and Portuguese forces, was also approaching, more than a month ahead of schedule.

He had to deal with the Burmese army first, then the Vietnamese army, and finally the foreigners. All three were then sent away in succession.

As soon as the Ming army marched out of their camp and formed ranks, King Mangye Ri of Burma, not to be outdone, ordered his troops to march out and engage in a decisive battle. He couldn't wait any longer.

The Ming army, numbering 100,000, was arranged in a hollow fish-scale formation. Chariots and shield wagons were in front, followed by long spearmen composed of Japanese Ming soldiers, rattan shield bearers composed of Cuan Ming soldiers, and then the Jinghai musketeer team... Cannons were placed in the hollow areas of the formation, and cavalry were on both flanks.

The core fighting force of this 100,000-strong army is the 10,000-strong Jinghai Army.

Excluding the cavalry on the flanks and the artillery in the center, the entire formation consisted of eight sub-formations: musketeers, spearmen, swordsmen and shieldmen, archers, and heavy infantry, resembling chess pieces. They could be moved and adjusted in all directions.

If a formation needs to be moved forward, that sub-formation will quickly adjust to the front, changing in a timely manner according to the battlefield situation, and rotating to output different attacks.

The 100,000 Ming soldiers were awe-inspiring, their crimson battle uniforms spreading out under the gloomy sky like a burning red glow.

Just by looking at the arrangement and use of large military formations, one can tell that Zhu Yin was already a veteran general who had experienced countless battles.

On the high siege tower in the center of the army, under the banner bearing the character "Zhu," Zhu Yin, clad in magnificent armor, calmly surveyed the entire battlefield, his gaze sharp as a tiger.

It has been three months since the troops were dispatched from Nanjing, and the decisive battle between Ming and Burma is today!

It took the Burmese army a long time to complete their deployment. Compared to the well-organized Ming army, the Burmese army had almost no proper formations and appeared somewhat disorganized.

The Burmese army was a large and mixed force. The various flags seemed to stretch as far as the eye could see, but the most striking sight was the large herd of war elephants clad in heavy leather armor, which, like a moving mountain, paced the earth restlessly, raising their trunks and emitting deep roars.

The war elephants were flanked by Burmese cavalry, many of whom were musketeers.

Behind them was a large number of infantry, interspersed with a thousand mercenaries in Western armor, twenty thousand Burmese arquebusiers, and even more archers, blowgunners, and swordsmen and shieldmen in rattan armor.

The Burmese army uses a common tactic employed by armies on the Korean Peninsula: war elephants in front, warhorses on both flanks, and musketeers and spearmen behind the elephant cavalry.

In Zhu Yin's view, it was somewhat like a skirmisher group that charged alongside tanks in later times. This formation, similar to the army's charge in World War II, was not without its merits, but it was still too crude and not suitable for the battlefields of the near-ancient era, which was a mix of cold weapons and firearms.

However, the Burmese army numbers as many as 180,000, which is almost the entire nation's military force. Even if they are just casually displayed, they are still imposing and magnificent.

The two armies stood three miles apart, facing each other like a deep pool and a towering mountain, the atmosphere between heaven and earth seemingly frozen in place.

Only the sounds of scouts on horseback observing each other on the battlefield and the rushing messengers broke the suffocating tension.

Zhu Yin squinted at the overwhelming Burmese army, his eyes gradually turning a leaden gray.

He suddenly raised the command flag and waved it with great force!
"Waaaaah—thump thump thump!"

The distinctive bugle calls and war drums of the Union Army broke the pre-battle silence.

Immediately, the 100,000 Ming soldiers went from being completely still to being extremely active, erupting into a roar like a mountain collapsing and the earth splitting apart.

The Ming army's cannons roared first, followed by the Burmese army's Western-style artillery, and the artillery battle between the two sides began.

This was the largest artillery battle in the entire Eastern world since ancient times. Both sides had a total of over a thousand cannons, bombarding each other from several miles apart.

Amidst deafening roars, billowing black smoke rose from both sides' formations, choking people and bringing tears to their eyes.

The whistling sound of cannonballs ripped through the sky, accompanied by chilling screams, as they crashed heavily into both sides' battle formations, instantly sending blood and flesh flying.

However, the Ming army's artillery range was nearly a mile farther than that of the Burmese army, allowing them to bombard the most densely populated areas deep within the Burmese army's positions and attack the Burmese army's most elite musketeers.

Large groups of Burmese musketeers died under the Ming army's cannons before they could even fire a single shot.

The Burmese army's Western-style cannons could only reach the very front of the Ming army's formation, killing and wounding mostly Japanese Ming soldiers and Cuan family Ming soldiers. Their destructive power was also inferior to that of the Ming army's artillery.

Both sides fired several rounds, resulting in over two thousand casualties for the Burmese army and over one thousand casualties for the Ming army. The wounded Ming soldiers were immediately transported to the field medical camp in the rear for treatment, while the wounded Burmese soldiers could only leave their fate to chance.

Even more critically, the Burmese army's casualties were all from the Burmese king's elite guards, while the Ming army's casualties were all from surrendered Japanese and Mongolian soldiers at the front.

Mang Yingli had high hopes for his cannons. However, in the first engagement, his prized Western cannons were surprisingly outmatched by the Ming army.

Even the specially trained war elephants were difficult to control under the power of the Ming army's cannons, and some even escaped to the sides and got stuck in the swamp!
"Your Majesty!" Colonel Gutt said solemnly, his legs pressed together, the spurs snapping as he rode his horse.

"As a top student of the Real Madrid Military Academy (which he wasn't), as a Far East military observer sent by His Holiness the Pope (which he wasn't), and as a professional officer from a noble family (which he wasn't), I, Colonel Guterres, suggest that we launch an immediate ground offensive. We can't just fight artillery battles anymore; the enemy's artillery is far superior! Continuing like this will only hand over victory!"

Although Colonel Gutt was a fraud who told a colossal lie to gain his honorary title, he hadn't been idle all these years; he did have some military expertise. At least his advice was quite professional.

Mang Yingli's face turned ashen. He found it hard to accept that the Western cannons he had purchased at great expense were inferior to the Ming army's artillery!
He knew very well that if things continued like this, his war elephants would collapse before the battle even began, under the Ming army's superior artillery fire!
He had no choice but to accept Colonel Gutt's suggestion.

"Issue my military order!" Mang Yinli gritted his teeth. "The main force will launch a preemptive strike! The vanguard of 40,000 men will follow the elephants in the attack! The Ming army is no match for the warriors of the Great White Elephant Kingdom in hand-to-hand combat! As long as we get close, they're finished!"

In the end, it was Mang Yingli who launched the ground attack first.

The mountain-like herd of war elephants, driven by the elephant cavalry, began to slowly accelerate.

Following closely behind were 40,000 Burmese main force infantry and musket formations, surging in like a tide.

Unfortunately, the Burmese army was in a low position, so attacking the Ming army was like climbing a hill, and even though the slope was gentle, they still suffered heavy losses.

The war elephants appeared to be charging in an overwhelming manner, but upon closer inspection, it became clear that the heavy elephants were struggling to make the charge.

Seeing this, Zhu Yin smiled slightly. This finally forced the Burmese army to launch a war elephant attack.

Faced with the terrifying charge of war elephants that would strike fear into any army, Zhu Yin remained calm, waving his command flag once more, his orders concise and powerful.

"Adjust the range of the exploding shells—Ready!"

The Ming artillerymen quickly adjusted their firing range and lowered the muzzle by cranking the gun locator. Indeed, the cannons made in Daishan were more maneuverable than Western cannons.

Meanwhile, the Ming army's vanguard retreated in large strides, seemingly to avoid the war elephants, but in fact it was a well-organized, fast but not panicked tactical retreat aimed at getting out of the Burmese army's artillery range and avoiding further casualties.

Just by looking at this tactical maneuver, one can tell that the Ming army was a well-trained and powerful force. In the case of any other army, it would easily have devolved into a panicked retreat.

"Hahaha!" Mang Yingli and the others burst into laughter when they saw the Ming army suddenly "retreat".

It seems the Ming army was still afraid of the Great White Elephant Kingdom's war elephant army.

So what if we're in a disadvantageous position? The cowardly Ming army is no match for our warriors!

The war elephant herd had already charged a mile ahead. Although they were climbing a gentle slope to attack from above, the elephants were incredibly strong, and even though they weren't fast, they carried an unstoppable momentum.

The earth trembled violently beneath the elephants' hooves, and dust billowed into the sky. Small cannons mounted on the elephants' backs began to roar, attempting to disrupt the Ming army's formation.

The Burmese king laughed loudly, "The Ming army is about to be defeated! Order the artillery to move forward and engage the Ming army in close fire!"

He planned to use war elephants and artillery in combination to break the Ming army's formation. Once the formation was broken, the Ming army would be thrown into chaos, and no matter how many men they had, it would be useless.

At this point, the Ming army retreated, moving out of his artillery range. He could only order the artillery to move forward, but this would take some time.

However, before the Burmese king and his entourage could finish laughing, suddenly, the distinctive bugle call of the Northern Army sounded from within the Ming army ranks, "Woo-woo-woo—"

The Ming army, which had retreated half a mile, suddenly stopped in unison.

Immediately afterwards, the Ming soldiers behind the shield wagons braced themselves against the vehicle, while the spearmen rammed their spears into the ground, pointing them diagonally forward, forming a forest of steel. Between the spears and the shield wagons were five ranks of Ming musketeers.

Almost simultaneously, the Ming army's artillery, which had already adjusted its range, began a terrifying volley of fire at the approaching war elephant herd.

"Boom boom boom—" A continuous burst of fire and roar suddenly erupted from the Ming army's formation, as if a sea of ​​thunder had overturned.

At the same time, the Ming army's muskets at the front also fired in a dense, rain-like burst.

“Bang bang bang bang—”

The large herd of war elephants was under the bombardment of the Ming army's cannons. The dense cannonballs were like divine punishment, blasting towards the approaching herd of elephants.

The musket bullets rained down like a metallic storm, blasting out in large swaths.

The war elephants' thick leather armor was no match for the artillery shells, and blood splattered continuously on their bodies. The agonizing roars of these behemoths instantly echoed across the land, terrifying even the crocodiles in the swamp into hiding in the mud.

The flames, the deafening roar, and the pain pushed these behemoths beyond their breaking point, causing them to instantly lose control.

The lead elephants no longer cared about the elephant corps' control; many turned around and ran wildly, blocking more elephants behind them and forcing them to stop.

The tens of thousands of Burmese infantrymen following behind the elephant herd were also blocked by the chaotic elephants and could no longer continue their charge. They could only stand still in a chaotic mess.

"What!" Upon seeing this, Mang Yingli gritted his teeth in anger. "Don't be afraid! Charge! Charge!"

"No!" The wise man Dedado's eyelids twitched. "It's very dangerous right now! Your Majesty, we can't force them to continue the attack. We must retreat instead, otherwise..."

But Deda hadn't finished speaking...

The Ming army's cannons began firing again, and various shells pierced the sky, once again raining down on the already chaotic elephant herd.

This time, the massive war elephant herd could no longer hold on and turned around, diving downwards!
That's right, it means charging towards one's own side.

"The elephant herd has finally turned around!" Qin Liangyu and the other generals were both surprised and delighted. "The Regent is truly a genius!" Seeing that the elephant herd had indeed turned around and charged back, Zhu Yin issued a third military order: Infantry attack! Cannons raised!
"Kill!" Tens of thousands of Ming soldiers, led by chariots and shield wagons, took advantage of the terrain and charged down like a flood bursting its banks, with overwhelming force.

The war elephant herd, which had already turned around under the bombardment of artillery, was now frightened and driven away by the charge of tens of thousands of Ming soldiers. In a panic, it accelerated and swooped down.

As a result, the Burmese infantry who were originally charging alongside the war elephants were in a tragic situation.

Tens of thousands of Burmese infantrymen were annihilated by the swooping charge of the war elephants. They tried to escape but collided with those behind them, blocking the road.

Many people could only rush in terror toward the swamps on both sides, preferring to fight the crocodiles rather than be trampled to death.

But how powerful is the charge of more than two thousand armored war elephants?
Countless Burmese soldiers have been trampled to death by their own war elephants, trampled to death by their comrades, or jumped into the swamp!
The tens of thousands of elite Burmese troops who participated in the first offensive completely collapsed under the swooping attack of their own war elephants.

Behind the frenzied war elephants, tens of thousands of Ming soldiers charged forward! The war elephants, one of the pillars upon which the Burmese army relied, were now being used by the Ming army to help them charge into battle.

This is the ruthless tactic Zhu Yin devised!
The Burmese king and his ministers behind him, witnessing this scene, were all horrified, as if struck by lightning!
No! How can it be!

How did this war turn out like this!

Mang Yingli stared blankly as tens of thousands of elite troops were plunged into annihilation, and almost coughed up blood on the spot!

"Your Majesty!" shouted Uncle Deda, "The army must retreat to the camp immediately! Retreat quickly! It'll be too late!"

Mang Yingli, his face pale and his voice trembling, said, "Are we just going to abandon the 40,000 troops who launched the first attack?"

Dedado wept and said, "We can't control them anymore! We have no choice but to abandon them! Let them be the rearguard of the army, covering the army's retreat back to the camp."

Mang Yingli felt as if his heart was being torn apart, but he could only grit his teeth and say, "Fine! I will listen to my uncle!"

Mang Yingli immediately made a decisive move, ordering a retreat to the main camp and removing all the wooden planks from the chevaux-de-frise and horse traps, effectively abandoning the 40,000-strong army.

At this moment, the Ming army's cannons, which had already raised their muzzles, began bombarding the Burmese army's follow-up echelons. Each explosion sent up clouds of smoke carrying severed limbs and gore, with blood and flesh flying everywhere.

The white mercenaries who were in command of the Western cannons simply abandoned the heavy artillery and retreated first.

They are just mercenaries who get paid; they won't die for the Burmese.

The Ming army had already charged forward, with the fierce Japanese Ming soldiers and Cuan family Ming soldiers at the forefront. To prove themselves and become true Ming soldiers, they fearlessly followed the war elephants in the battle.

Jinghai's firearms soldiers followed behind, carrying muskets with knives, methodically targeting and killing the Burmese musketeers.

Burmese musketeers attempted to retaliate, but discovered that the Ming army's muskets had a greater range and power than their matchlock guns, and their armor protection was far inferior to that of the Ming army. They suffered heavy casualties in the exchange of fire.

The Ming cavalry were not idle either. Cao Wenzhao and Li Rubai led their cavalry to swoop down from both flanks and launch a flanking attack on the retreating Burmese army, cutting off their retreat.

"Kill!" The Ming infantry, including the White-Spear Army, followed the cavalry in a charge to intercept the cut-off Burmese army, striving to maximize their gains in accordance with the tactics devised by Zhu Yin.

The initiative on the entire battlefield had completely fallen into the hands of the Ming army. The Burmese army was powerless to stop the counterattack at this point and could only try to preserve its strength as much as possible, striving to withdraw more troops back to the camp at the foot of the mountain.

Zhu Yin calmly observed the battlefield situation, stroking the little black dog beside him.

It was already hot. Little Black, wearing custom-made dog armor, stuck out its tongue, and in its half-smiling eyes, it saw the retreating Burmese army.

“Little Black, this is Myanmar, do you remember it?” Zhu Yin stroked his old comrade’s head. “In later generations, you carried out a mission here. This time, you might be about to make a name for yourself again.”

Zhu Yin looked at the mountains behind the Burmese army camp and said, "You might be searching the mountains again."

At this moment, the Burmese army's vanguard was completely thrown into chaos, and the crimson Ming army moved forward like a surging tide, engulfing the Burmese troops.

Meanwhile, the Ming cavalry cut off the retreating Burmese army, trapping more than 70,000 to 80,000 Burmese troops in the southern encirclement, leaving only 100,000 Burmese troops in the north.

How could Mang Yingli be willing to lose 80,000 men at once?
Seeing this, he could only mobilize his most elite Imperial Guard to hold the line, while ordering his right wing to intensify its offensive in an attempt to outflank the Ming army's left wing and break the blockade, allowing more Burmese troops to retreat.

The entire battlefield transformed into a massive vortex, with over 200,000 troops from both sides locked in a fierce and brutal struggle within this confined space, a veritable battlefield of carnage.

Many desperate Burmese soldiers had no choice but to jump into the swamp. Some of the crocodiles in the swamp swallowed the Burmese soldiers who jumped in, but most were killed by the Burmese soldiers themselves.

On the shore, hundreds and thousands of lives were being lost every moment. Shouts, the roar of firearms, the clash of weapons, the neighing of war elephants and horses, and the wails of the dying were all intertwined, creating a scene of extreme tragedy.

However, the vast majority of the dead and wounded were Burmese soldiers from the south, many of whom were trampled to death by war elephants.

The Burmese army was in a very passive position, and the surrounded southern Burmese army was almost in a desperate situation.

With limited battlefield width, the Burmese army's numerical advantage could not be fully utilized. The elite troops responsible for flanking and counterattacking were unable to break through the Ming army's strong resistance and could only watch helplessly as the Burmese army in the encirclement was annihilated by the Ming army.

"Your Majesty!" Dedado's face was ashen, his lips trembling. "Forget about it! Head straight back to camp! The troops in the south can't be saved!"

Mang Yingli's eyes were bloodshot as he roared, "Eighty thousand men! There are eighty thousand men in the south! Most of them are Imperial Guards!"

"We can't worry about them now!" Deda grabbed his arm. "We still have 100,000 men. There's still a chance to retreat to the main camp!"

Mang Yingli shook off his arm. "No! Retreating would be the real end! We have to save them!"

He drew his treasured sword from his waist. "No retreat! Counterattack! Fight the Ming army! We still have over 100,000 troops! Kill!"

He led the last Imperial Guard battalion, supervising all units, and desperately attacked southward, intending to break through the obstacles and rescue the troops trapped in the south.

At that very moment, Colonel Gutt, who had long since retreated to the very back, finally turned back to take one last look at the vast and chaotic battlefield.

The son of a Genoese shoemaker was exceptionally sensitive to danger. He knew very well that the Burmese army was doomed to defeat and the situation was beyond saving.

The army he knew so well, and the man he knew, were about to win another battle.

He had to leave.

But where should he go this time?

Goa! Yes, Goa is the only place to go!

"Let's go, gentlemen!" Colonel Gutt said to the hundreds of white men who had remained loyal to him. "We have lived up to the honor of soldiers! Gentlemen, we have done our best, it is time to end our mission."

After saying that, he rushed into the nearby mountains and forests.

Hundreds of his trusted followers fled with him without a second thought.

Meanwhile, Mang Yingli, who was desperately trying to salvage the situation, was unaware that his military advisor, Colonel Gutt, had already fled.

From his vantage point, Zhu Yin had a clear view of the Burmese army's movements. The Regent of the Ming Dynasty couldn't help but let out a cold smile.

The Burmese king was indeed stubborn and self-willed.

"It's time." Zhu Yin issued his fourth military order.

Three signal rockets manufactured in Daishan suddenly took off, standing out conspicuously against the smoke-filled sky.

Soon, two groups of soldiers suddenly appeared from the flank and rear of the main Burmese army position!

This was a surprise force meticulously arranged by Zhu Yin before the battle: one was Han Jinzhong, the chieftain of Mubang, and the other was Daonuo Meng, the chieftain of Cheli!

They were originally the Three Xuan and Six Wei of the Ming Dynasty, but in recent years they were conquered by Burma and submitted to Burma, but they have never been truly convinced of their superiority.

In fact, the Burmese king had always been wary of them.

The two men were terrified of Myanmar and originally dared not turn against their own side. However, under the influence of the Tiger Tooth agents, they only agreed to switch sides and fight Shunfengzhang after seeing Mang Yingli show signs of defeat.

Now that they see signs of defeat in the Burmese army, they should fulfill their promises, and they dare not fail to do so.

The two men accompanied the Burmese king on his campaign against the Ming dynasty, bringing the total number of troops to just over 20,000. However, these 20,000 troops were a fatal blow to the Burmese army at that time, undoubtedly the last straw that broke the camel's back.

These two defecting troops marched straight towards Mangyingli's banner!
Chaos erupts in the rear of the Myanmar army!

The position of the commander's flag was under fierce attack, and the entire army lost unified command and fell into the predicament of fighting alone.

The Burmese army in the north, which was originally not in chaos, is now in complete disarray.

"Han Jinzhong! Dao Nuomeng! You two traitors who will go to hell!"

Seeing the two stab him in the back at this critical moment, Mang Yingli was furious!

"Your Majesty! We must leave now!" Dedado cried out in anguish. "Otherwise, it will be too late! We must go into the mountains! There will be other opportunities in the future!"

"No!" Mang Yingli cried out in a frenzy as he saw the army in complete chaos and out of command. "I will fight Zhu Yin to the death! I will kill Han Jinzhong and Dao Nuomeng first!"

Deda shouted, "Guards! Escort the King into the mountains! Quickly!"

A group of guards rushed forward, snatched Mang Yingli, and left.

They abandoned the army and the royal banner.

Seeing the Burmese king flee and the royal flag fall, the Burmese army, already in dire straits, completely collapsed.

The army was defeated like a mountain!
……

P.S.: I'm so upset! I was pushed down to over 500th place at the beginning of the month, I'm completely devastated, I haven't smiled all day. Please vote for me! Thank you so much. Goodnight!
(End of this chapter)