In these two months of war, there were no large-scale battles, but only small-scale raids.
In the undeveloped mountainous and dense forest areas of southern Sichuan and northern Yunnan, it is unrealistic to engage in large-scale operations.
Only small-scale, broken-down attacks can lead to success.
This requires a high degree of discipline of the Ming army, as well as the combat capabilities of small units, to launch attacks in an almost guerrilla warfare-style combat mode.
This is almost unimaginable for the old feudal army.
Judging from the discipline status of the old feudal army, when breaking up into pieces to fight guerrilla warfare, the first thing the big soldiers have to do is definitely not to fight according to orders, but to desert.
Such a good opportunity to escape is usually impossible, so how can the big-headed soldiers who are bullied by their superiors not to desert immediately?
A division can give you only one company, and at most one division headquarters. Any more will mean that your division commander loves his soldiers as his sons, so the old feudal army is destined to be unable to be broken into pieces to engage in guerrilla warfare.
In this kind of dense forest and mountainous terrain, large armies cannot be deployed, and only the fighting method of breaking into parts is most effective. Therefore, the feudal dynasty is often very helpless when facing these border tribes.
This is not the case with the Ming army.
This group of anti-Ming armed tribes were unlucky. They hit the iron plate and happened to encounter the strongest and most disciplined Ming army in history. However, they regarded them as cumbersome opponents of the traditional Central Plains dynasty. .
So they were miserable.
Under Xu Tong's plan, the Ming army used battalions as combat units, abandoning the large-scale joint operations that they were best at, and used a battalion or a combination of two battalions to launch a specialized attack on one or two tribes, clear routes, and attack on multiple fronts. .
While fighting, he used kerosene to set fire to the woods. Through small-scale raids again and again, Xu Tong gradually realized the pre-war layout of accumulating small victories into big victories, and annihilated 100% of the anti-Ming tribes in southern Sichuan. More than eighty.
The rest completely lost the courage to compete with the Ming army, and did not think that surrender would have a good end. They could only choose to flee all the way to the southeast, seemingly to escape to Southeast Asia.
But as far as Xu Tong knew, they needed to pass through a large amount of primitive jungle to find a human settlement, and the possibility of reaching their destination alive was very low.
It can be said that with the assistance of the Dali Kingdom, after these two months of small-scale fighting, the Ming Kingdom basically wiped out the anti-Ming tribal armed forces in southern Sichuan, and initially radiated its ruling power deeply into the mountainous areas of southern Sichuan.
If what the Ming Dynasty officials say in this area works, those tribes will obey it and will not violate it.
For example, after a series of annihilation campaigns, the Ming government required some pro-Ming tribes and neutral tribes to move out of their original residences and settle in areas designated by the Ming government, so that the Ming government could conduct a census and formally govern them.
It turned out that this kind of thing was even unthinkable. These people would not agree at all, and would even rebel immediately.
But now they have to seriously consider the feasibility of this kind of thing, and send people to contact the Ming Dynasty officials to discuss a series of possibilities, seek more generous policy treatment, etc.
This is the implementation of the right to rule.
The soldiers of the Eighth Corps made outstanding contributions to this end.
In this battle, Su Haisheng and the garrison troops of the Second Corps under his command were responsible for logistical support tasks. The main combat tasks were all handed over to the recruits of the Eighth Corps, allowing them to fight life and death with the anti-Ming tribe armed forces. , in order to exercise their practical ability.
Fortunately, the recruits of the Eighth Corps withstood the severe test of the natural environment and the enemy's combat effectiveness and successfully completed their mission.
Although they themselves paid the price of more than a thousand deaths and injuries, these losses were not unworthy compared to the results.
Xu Tong erected a monument in the ruins of the last anti-Ming tribe station that was wiped out to commemorate the young warriors who sacrificed their lives to win this victory.
He learned from Su Yonglin and engraved the entire process of the Ming army's annihilation of the enemy on a stone tablet, swearing to future generations the sovereignty of the Ming Dynasty over this land and the price that the Ming Dynasty paid for victory.
These young warriors deserve to be remembered forever.
In this way, the last thing left worth mentioning is the help provided by Dali to the Ming Dynasty.
In this military operation, Dali State dispatched more than 5,000 soldiers. Gao Zhenming, who had previously been envoy to the Ming Dynasty, served as the leading general. He cooperated with the main force of the Ming army to carry out some more difficult military operations and suffered some casualties.
So after the war, Xu Tong distributed part of the spoils to the Dali army, and presented himself to Su Yonglin, highlighting the military exploits of the Dali army and Gao Zhenming, and asking Su Yonglin for a reward.
In the end, Gao Zhenming received physical rewards from Su Yonglin, as well as official positions and honors in the Ming Dynasty. For this, Gao Zhenming was very grateful to Xu Tong and sent many gifts to Xu Tong. He also tried to give Xu Tong beauties from Dali for his enjoyment. .
Xu Tong received all the gifts, changed hands and stored them in a military warehouse, and put them into public accounts to further improve the treatment of army soldiers.
As for Dali beauties, Xu Tong didn't want them.
"Thousands of years ago, there was a god of war in the Central Plains named Huo Qubing. He once said that the Xiongnu were not destroyed, so why should I take care of my family? Although I am far inferior to Huo Qubing, I am willing to imitate him. The unification of the Ming Dynasty has not yet been realized, so how can I consider my own personal life? What’s the problem?”
"My Healing Game"
Gao Zhenming admired Xu Tong, a man whose mouth was as hard as the knife in his hand.
He smiled ambiguously.
"Even if you accept them, these women are just your concubines. No matter how bad it is, you can use them as servant girls or housemaids, whatever you want will do. They are beautiful, gentle and lovely, good at singing, dancing, playing chess, calligraphy and painting. Everything is covered and you will never feel bored.
Besides, you are not married yet, do not have a wife, and have no one to take care of you. Besides marching and fighting, you still need some caring people in the house to serve you tea and water, take care of your daily life, and do your laundry. Wouldn't it be nice to fold the quilt or warm the bed? "
Xu Tong remained calm and shook his head in refusal.
"I am a member of the Renaissance. The Renaissance has requirements for members. Taking concubines and intercourse girls are old symbols of exploitation and oppression. Renaissance members must not do these things. I appreciate General Gao's kindness, but I really can't accept."
Gao Zhenming's complexion gradually changed.
"I've heard about the Renaissance Society, but I didn't know that you were also a member. Members are not allowed to take concubines, and they are not allowed to have girls in the same room... Isn't this a bit unreasonable?"
Xu Tong slowly shook his head.
"I am a member of the Renaissance and a revolutionary. Concubinage, a kind of enjoyment enjoyed by the upper class in the old days, is something that revolutionaries must avoid. Although the Ming Dynasty has not explicitly banned everyone from taking concubines, this order has been Between the two, it won’t be long before it becomes a reality.”
Xu Tong looked at Gao Zhenming for a while and said with a smile: "Fortunately, although Dali is a vassal state of the Ming Dynasty, it does not have to act according to the rules of the Ming Dynasty. If this is the case, many people in the Gao family may feel dissatisfied from the bottom of their hearts. "
Gao Zhenming had read "Hongwu Political Treatise" and was by no means ignorant of Su Yonglin and the policies of the Ming Dynasty. Because of this, he and the Gao family behind him were worried.
"Although it may be taboo to ask this question, in your opinion, will the Ming Dynasty require Dali to abide by the laws of the Ming Dynasty?"
Gao Zhenming tentatively asked Xu Tong: "I have also read His Majesty the Emperor's masterpieces, and I deeply feel His Majesty the Emperor's concern for the country and the people, but I don't know if His Majesty the Emperor has the same requirements for Dali. In this regard , what do you think?"
