The key city of Kampong Chhnang in northwest Cambodia, located not far from the mouth of the lake on the southeast side of the Tonle Sap Lake, has once again increased its vigilance in the past few days. There are also more and more small speedboats patrolling the Tonle Sap River in the east of the city to guard against future threats. The Siamese and Ming armies were flowing down the river from the northwest.
The shape of these fast boats is somewhat like the eagle ships of the Ming Dynasty Navy. They have pointed ends, no head and tail, can advance and retreat like flying, and have strong maneuverability. The hulls of these ships were covered with thatch and bamboo nails, and there were blunderbuss holes between the bamboos. In use by the Ming Dynasty navy, they usually rush into the enemy's position and are used in conjunction with sand ships.
However, the Cambodian army may have been a little careless when they imitated the Ming army's ships. They even copied the muskets. In fact, they didn't have many fire muskets at all, and even if they did, they wouldn't use them on this kind of patrol imitation eagle ship. What's more, these eagle ships are still condensed versions, one size smaller than the eagle ships that originally existed as small ships in the Ming Navy.
Kampong Chhnang guard Musali ignored this. It was not that he did not know that these ships were not durable, but that even if he knew, it would be meaningless. The Phnom Penh Dynasty is a kingdom that begs for food on its golden mountains. It obviously sits in a good place like the Mekong Delta, but it lacks almost everything except food.
Shipbuilding is too difficult for them. Even copying the small warships of the Ming Navy is not easy. Although these condensed versions of the Eagle Ships are certainly not enough to fight against the Ming Navy in Siam, if they are only used as reconnaissance ships , I can still do a bit of work if I make do with it.
What Musali wants to know most now is whether the Ming army will come by water or by land.
If you come by water, it goes without saying that you must go directly to Tonle Sap Lake, follow the lake into the Tonle Sap River, and then go straight down the river to Kampong Chhnang in less than a day.
The Tonle Sap Lake is the largest freshwater lake in Southeast Asia, a thousand miles long and more than two hundred miles wide. Its status in Cambodia is more important than the Dongting Lake and Poyang Lake of the Ming Dynasty. It is known as the Lake of Life.
However, since the Angkor Dynasty was defeated by Siam 150 years ago and fled to Phnom Penh to establish the Phnom Penh Dynasty, the Tonle Sap Lake has basically fallen into the hands of the Siamese, and the Cambodians can only hold on to the Tonle Sap. The southeastern mouth of the lake is clear and clear, and it is just trying to survive.
As early as before the Angkor rebels were eliminated by Huang Zhiting and Liu Xin, there was a Siamese navy in the Tonle Sap Lake. The existence of this navy was also the reason why Kampong Chhnang could only remain on the defensive and did not dare to attack. One of the reasons for hope.
Because the Cambodian navy is completely helpless, once the land army sets off from Kampong Chhnang, no matter where they go to fight, as long as the Siamese army rides naval warships down the river, they can directly attack Kampong Chhnang.
If the strategic hub in the rear is no longer guaranteed, why fight on the front line? The Cambodians are not like the Mongols more than two hundred years ago, who could travel thousands of miles away without logistics. If they want to go to Siam, the first step is to protect Kampong Chhnang.
This is also the reason why Musali made the agreement with the Angkor rebels before - Musali must ensure that the navy will not threaten Kampong Chhnang before he dares to consider sending troops to join forces with the Angkor rebels.
Simply put, if Cambodia loses Kampong Chhnang, it will be more dangerous than the Ming Dynasty losing Xuanfu and Datong.
Today, Musali suddenly and nervously strengthened his defenses again, precisely because of the latest intelligence.
The intelligence from two days ago was just sent to him. It said that the Ming army at Angkor changed from its previous ease and suddenly carried out extremely intense mobilization. All soldiers were asked to return to the military camp, and there were even three steps outside the military camp. In one post, it is simply impossible to get close to the investigation like some time ago.
At the same time, officials in the city were busy allocating grain, grass and various weapons. Several warehouses were temporarily inventoried, and an official was even arrested and beheaded on the spot - it is said that there was some mold in the warehouse he was responsible for. rice.
In short, various circumstances indicate that the Ming army of Angkor is about to make a big move. They don't even bother to check the Cambodian spies in the city. All the civilian and military generals look like they are about to send troops urgently. Perhaps in their view, as long as the troops were dispatched quickly enough, the spies would not be able to send the news back to Cambodia in time, especially to Kampong Chhnang.
Musali was of course very nervous about this, and immediately carried out mobilization and preparations for war. But having said that, his nervousness is still very different from Gita I's.
This difference is first of all that there is a difference between king and minister, but there is no need to elaborate on this point. The second difference lies in Musali's lineage - his surname is Mu.
This "木" is not a transliteration, it is really a Chinese surname.
There have been Chinese surnames in Cambodia for a long time. There are two sources. One is directly from "China", and the other is from Annan. But no matter which one it is, it means that his family's ancestors are Han, or at least have Han ancestry.
The personal name system in Cambodia is relatively complicated. It is more popular among the local Khmer people to use their father's name as their surname. However, for people of Han descent, and even Khmer people whose ancestors married Han people, their descendants mostly follow the Han name principle and always follow their father's name. surname.
The "wood" of Musali is this kind, and his name is one of the common names of the Khmer people.
As a senior general of the Phnom Penh Dynasty in Cambodia, he knew that Annan had changed greatly in recent years, especially Annan's "naturalized household registration system", which was the focus of his attention.
The patrilineal cultural tradition of the Han people may still have a great influence on him. He has always been proud of the Han blood in his body. After learning about Annan's "naturalized household registration system", he proudly said to his close relatives: "If the Chinese dynasty mixes together, In southern Xinjiang, I am a Han Chinese."
However, after all, he is a minister of the Phnom Penh Dynasty. Even if the dynasty wants to "conquer Southern Xinjiang", he has no intention of surrendering directly - and even if he wants to surrender, he must first demonstrate his ability and importance before surrendering. If you surrender without even fighting a battle, can China take it seriously? Therefore, he still attaches great importance to the defense of Kampong Chhnang.
After a long period of investigation, there was no news from Tonle Sap Lake. Musali believed that the Angkor Ming army most likely did not intend to come by water.
If you don’t take the water route and take the land route, there are two possibilities - either coming from the east of Tonle Sap Lake, or coming from the west of Tonle Sap Lake (note: Tonle Sap Lake is a bit like a slender gourd) , for the specific locations of Angkor and Kampong Chhnang, interested friends can search the map to see it, which is more intuitive.).
But Musali believed that although it would be closer to come from the east of Tonle Sap Lake, the Ming army would probably not choose this choice, because in that case, the Ming army would have to attack the Tonle Sap River first before attacking Kampong Chhnang—— These days, fighting across rivers has always been synonymous with danger. This is true in China and of course in southern Xinjiang.
Then the most likely possibility for the Ming army is to detour from the west of Tonle Sap Lake, most likely to repair at Bodhisattva (this is a place name), and then go straight to Kampong Chhnang.
Musali calculated the time. If this is the case, then the Ming army will arrive in Kampong Chhnang at the earliest tomorrow afternoon and three days at the latest.
There was not much time left for him to prepare. Qianqianba
He has been in the army for generations and has been guarding Kampong Chhnang for seven years. At this moment, his spirit is inexplicably uplifted: he can become famous all over the world in one fell swoop!
Without seeking to completely defeat the Ming army, as long as the Ming army that once defeated the White Elephant King of Jinlou can be held outside the city of Kampong Chhnang, he Musali will be the number one general in Cambodia!
If this war ends in a draw, then when he returns to Phnom Penh in the future, His Majesty the King will definitely lead hundreds of civil and military officials to greet him outside Phnom Penh.
Thinking about it is really heart-warming.
Unfortunately, beautiful thoughts are always interrupted. An official and a group of minor officials ran over in a hurry, holding a golden scroll in his hand.
But Musali immediately came to his senses and realized that it was not a scroll, because the official had already raised the "scroll" high and loudly said: "There is an edict!"
Musali hurriedly came down from the top of the White Tiger Festival Hall, knelt down and worshiped below, saying, "My lord, Musali, is respectfully listening to the edict."
"An edict was issued to Musali, the general stationed in the northwest of Kampong Chhnang: Annan has betrayed his faith, and the more than 50,000 Ming troops stationed in the city suddenly launched a military provocation. Now they have captured Priango and are marching towards Phnom Penh. The country is in danger. It is approaching, and your Majesty is extremely anxious. I have been a loyal minister for generations, so why should I just sit back and ignore it? Let Musali immediately lead the troops back to Phnom Penh to protect my side. I admire this."
Musali was shocked after hearing this, but then he was dumbfounded and did not react for a long time.
The official shouted anxiously: "General! General Mu! Are you going to resist the order?"
Musali was awakened by this, and quickly reached out to take the edict, but he did not express his gratitude as usual, and did not even say a word. He stood up directly and said nervously: "Baling Anle, the Ming army of 50,000 soldiers came from Annan." Come and capture Priyango in one fell swoop? Is this news true?"
The official he called Bahrain Anle was sweating profusely, took a few deep breaths, and said with difficulty: "I don't know if it's true or not. In short, the holy envoy was so tired when he arrived in Kampong Chhnang that he couldn't even deliver the order. I couldn't hold on anymore, and I fainted when I saw it. But I guess the news is probably true, and at least Priango must have been lost, otherwise His Majesty the King wouldn't be so eager - look what this edict looks like Like this, it seems that it was written on the spur of the moment and sent directly..."
Musali quickly opened the imperial edict and took a look. It was indeed something strange - not only was it scrawled, but there were even two places where the royal pen had changed it into a black patch of ink. This thing is usually not even considered a draft, but now it was actually used in such a grand manner and sent to him.
This must be such a rush!
Musali gasped, rolled his eyes, and said hesitantly: "But Bahrain Anle, my position in Qingqingyang is very important, and the Angkor Ming army may have already sent troops halfway. If I lead the army back to Phnom Penh at this time, I'm just afraid..."
Balin Anle sighed and said helplessly: "Who says it's not the case? But there is nothing we can do about it. No matter how important Kampong Chhnang's status is, can it be more important than Phnom Penh?"
Just as Musali was about to speak, Bahrain Anle waved his hand to stop him, and said: "What's more, considering the size of the enemy's threat, the number of enemies in front of Kung Ching Yang is not very large, because according to our previous investigation, , the Ming army of Angkor only had more than 18,000 soldiers in total. Even if the navy was included, this number would definitely not exceed 30,000.
As for the Ming army that captured Puliango, it was an army of 50,000 people! General Mu, tell me, if you don't bring troops back to support, can the less than 20,000 people in Phnom Penh withstand the thunderous blow of the 50,000 Ming army? "
Musali thought to himself: If there were really 50,000 Ming troops, then of course the "Thunder Strike" would not be able to be stopped - the 150,000 troops of the White Elephant King of Jinlou could not stop the less than 30,000 soldiers of Hua Mulan in Southern Xinjiang. What about the Ming army, let alone us? But the question is, if 50,000 Ming troops are really heading towards Phnom Penh, what difference will it make if I return reinforcements or not?
He said with a sad look on his face: "Although there are plenty of troops in the northwest area at the moment, there are less than 40,000 troops in Kampong Chhnang City. Apart from the necessary troops left to defend the city, even if I am willing to lead troops immediately to serve the king, this strength ...I'm afraid it's far from enough to protect His Majesty from fifty thousand Ming troops."
"Then we have to save him." Balin Anle shook his head and said: "The edict is a bit bad, but it is an edict, and King Qin has to go. But... we probably need to discuss how many troops to lead. "
Musali suddenly felt something in his heart and asked calmly: "What do you mean by your Excellency the Governor?"
"I think what General Mu said before is reasonable. Kampong Chhnang's status is important as it is the gateway to Phnom Penh. Even if there are police in the southeast of Phnom Penh, Kampong Chhnang cannot be given up. After all, as long as Kampong Chhnang is there, at least the northwest will be bright. The army cannot go to Phnom Penh to join the southeastern Ming army and besiege Phnom Penh. Therefore, I think that Kampong Chhnang still needs to have heavy troops to suppress the formation."
Musali narrowed his eyes slightly and said with a smile: "So, how many troops will I lead back to Phnom Penh?"
Balin Anlie said: "I think, just five... uh, ten thousand." After he finished speaking, he quickly explained: "General Mu is the backbone of our army. As long as you lead the troops back to Phnom Penh, the defenders of Phnom Penh will definitely The morale will be greatly boosted, one can defeat ten, and the Ming army can be defeated at the gate of the country! When the general defeats the powerful enemy with a weak force, he will naturally become the most famous minister and general in our dynasty, and his reputation will last forever..."
Musali chuckled: "Then, your Excellency, the Governor, will use the 30,000 to 40,000 troops from the northwest as a basis to make a mark in the Ming Dynasty, win a high-ranking official, and even be hereditary, right?"
Balin Anle was shocked, and even subconsciously took two steps back, pointing at Musali with a mixture of shock and anger: "General Mu, what nonsense are you talking about? Am I, Balin Anle, the kind of disloyal and unjust person!"
Musali half-squinted his eyes, looked Balin Anle up and down, and then Shi Shiran said: "Is this...I originally thought it wasn't the case, but now it seems that's not necessarily the case."
Balin Anlie rolled his eyes, and his face became more angry: "Musali, I think you want to take the opportunity to kill me and silence me, and then commit the crime you just wanted to inflict on me, right? Don't forget, even though you are General of the Northwest, but the defenders in the inner city are all my soldiers, and your soldiers are limited to the five hundred people in this general's palace. Musali, if I have three advantages and two disadvantages, less than one At this time, your general's mansion will be the end of the world!"
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Thanks to book friend "Cao Mianzi" for your reward and support, thank you!
PS: This chapter is updated normally. There will be double updates tomorrow and the day after tomorrow. The extra chapter is a thank you to the leader of the alliance, "Ride alone to illuminate the blue heart".
