Those who do not have a national surname cannot be granted the title of king, and those who do not have military merit cannot be granted the title of marquis.
This is a rule that has existed since ancient times.
Fame can only be obtained immediately!
With this idea in mind, Yan Yan followed Zhang Fu out of the capital.
The British Duke Zhang Fu was a veteran who established his reputation in Cochin. When he conquered Cochin, he achieved peace for more than ten years in one battle. Since the peace of Jiaozhi, all the people in the south have been in shock. Even though there is turmoil in Luchuan now, people on the Jiaozhi side are still living and working in peace and contentment, with no intention of "responding".
Even though the Ming Dynasty garrison there has been reduced to only more than 30,000 people, there have been no rebels for many years. The people live and work in peace and contentment. At the same time, the Red River Delta provides considerable food and grass for the southwest of the Ming Dynasty.
Who would want to rebel if they could live well?
And when the news spread that Zhang Fu led an army of 300,000 (allegedly) to send troops to Luchuan, the entire southwest was trembled, and even the few bandits hurriedly surrendered to the local government.
It also shows Zhang Fu’s reputation and powerful ability.
On the Luchuan side, they were also shocked by Zhang Fu's reputation.
The rebels' arrogance was reduced a lot and they began to prepare for war. The Ming Dynasty's border fell into peace in a short period of time and was no longer harassed by them.
The military morale of the Ming army also improved due to the arrival of veteran generals.
Soon, the two armies merged and the total strength reached 200,000.
"This expedition to Luchuan should be fought quickly and must not be delayed for a long time. The mountains here are high and the forests are dense. Once the opponent relies on the high city and deep pond to defend, it will be detrimental to our army."
"The first battle is here."
Standing in front of the sand table, Zhang Fu pointed to a location.
Lujiang, where a large number of Luchuan troops were guarding to prevent the Ming army from crossing the river.
"Who is willing to be the vanguard and open the way for the army?" He glanced at the generals and asked.
"General, I would like to be the vanguard!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Yan Yan had already spoken, his eyes shining with light.
Zhang Fu nodded approvingly. Although he was born into a wealthy family, he was not afraid of life and death. He saw his own reflection in Jun Jun and was willing to give him this chance:
"Okay! You will be the vanguard officer! After this battle, I will ask for credit from Your Majesty on your behalf!"
Afterwards, some arrangements were made, and the generals took orders one after another.
"The entire army marches into Luchuan!"
Following his order, the Ming army rolled towards the Lujiang River.
Relying on a large number of ships, the Ming army forcibly crossed the Lujiang River and launched a rapid offensive against the Luchuan army.
The more than 80,000 Lucchuan troops did not expect the Ming army's attack to come so quickly. The vanguard army was even more brave. They were stunned to cross the Lujiang River despite the Luchuan army's offensive, gaining a foothold for the Ming army and successfully crossing the river.
The battle lasted only one day and ended. With the Ming army fully deployed, the Luchuan army was defeated. The Ming army chased them on horseback. The Lucchuan army suffered numerous casualties and left corpses everywhere.
"Pooh!"
Yan Yan spat out a mouthful of blood. His armor was in tatters, and even his face was scratched and left bloody marks.
When the vanguard army crossed the river, they encountered a fierce offensive from Luchuan. After crossing the river, they fought a bloody battle with the Luchuan army that was several times their own. He himself took the lead and was hit by dozens of arrows.
Fortunately, the armor is powerful enough, so it's no big deal.
"Well done."
Zhang Fu came over and patted him on the shoulder, praising him.
"He really is a tiger in the door."
Yan Yan forced a smile, he was already a little exhausted. This was not his first time fighting. He had seen blood before when he put down the rebellion of King Zhao in Beijing. But this is the first time for such a tragic battlefield and such endless enemies.
Zhang Fu looked at his face carefully. Although he was a little tired, he was not afraid or flinched. He was even more satisfied with him and said with a smile:
"From now on, leave the vanguard officer job to others. You can follow me and learn more about marching, fighting, and using troops."
This battle showed Zhang Fu's courage and bravery, as well as his outstanding commanding ability. On the first battlefield, he was able to command thousands of forwards to cross the river in an orderly manner and not collapse in the rain of arrows. This is very rare. of.
He wanted to focus on training him to be his successor and conquer the Ming Dynasty after his death.
It would be a pity to use it for charging into battle.
"The general is important, but being handsome is the key to a victory."
Yan Yan nodded heavily.
…
The Ming army won the first battle brilliantly. Zhang Fu did not hesitate at all and immediately commanded his troops to continue the offensive.
Although Luchuan lost tens of thousands of elite soldiers, their strength was still very strong.
After all, at its peak, Luchuan was approaching Chongqing in the north and the Indian Ocean in the south. It occupied a huge territory and had 300,000 troops.
It's just that they never fought against the Ming army that went south. Mu Ying led an army of 200,000 and completely pacified the southwest. However, because the culture here was different from that of the Han Dynasty, Taizu of the Ming Dynasty did not directly rule here, but established the Xuanwei Department. .
After all these years, Luchuan has risen again, and Sirenfa has an army of more than 200,000.
However, in front of the Ming army, they were still not impressed enough. Whether it was equipment or combat quality, they were far behind. You must know that Zhang Fu even brought part of the three battalions this time, which was the most elite force of the Ming Dynasty.
After five months of fierce fighting, the Luchuan Army lost consecutive battles, losing more than 100,000 troops, and recaptured dozens of cities and towns, gaining great prestige.
However, at this time, the envoy from Luchuan came to Beijing, brought a large amount of tribute, and asked the emperor to stop using troops and be willing to return to the rule of the Ming Dynasty.
"The opinion of the ministers is to reduce the food allowance." In the imperial study room, Yan Keng said to Zhu Qizhen:
"But accept their surrender, order the British Duke to return, and cease the war."
Feasting refers to banquets and gifts to tribute missions. The Ming Dynasty was very generous. They would always give back a lot of gold and silver to show the wealth and generosity of the Ming Dynasty.
The ministers felt that now that the purpose of punishing Si Renfa had been achieved, there was no need to continue the attack. As long as they were not given gifts, it would be a severe punishment from the Ming Dynasty.
If we continue to fight, it will just be a waste of money and food.
Moreover, in recent years, Wala has become somewhat restless and should shift its strategic focus to the north.
Zhu Qizhen thought for a moment after hearing this. He turned his head and picked up the map placed next to him. It was colorful and had many lines drawn on it. Various icons of different colors represented the distribution of forces between the Ming Army and the Luchuan Army.
It can be clearly seen that the Ming army's front has moved forward in an all-round way, while the Luchuan army has only a third of the land left.
"My teacher, I'm thinking about the story you told me before." He said slowly:
"Liu Bang, Taizu of the Han Dynasty, conquered the Xiongnu in the north, but the Xiongnu were so powerful that they were surrounded by Baideng."
"Taizu then temporarily surrendered to the Xiongnu, and then worked hard to govern. When the seven kingdoms were pacified and the Han army and horses were strong, Emperor Wu then sent troops to the north to attack the Xiongnu, and sealed the wolf as a subordinate, avenging his previous humiliation."
"This is the wisdom of the Chinese ancestors, and it has been learned by people all over the world."
"Si Renfa and his son have always had a disloyal heart. From the first expedition to Luchuan in the Hongwu period, although they submitted in name, they actually invaded our border many times, which shows that they have never surrendered."
"Their losses this time are far less than they were back then. It's unreasonable for Si Renfa to be so scared."
"I think this is their tactic to delay the attack, and it is just to temporarily confuse us. When my army retreats and Luchuan's strength recovers, he is afraid that he will rebel again and invade our Ming border!"
"And with this experience, they will definitely become more difficult to deal with!"
(End of chapter)
