The sudden appearance of these two British warships made Li Dingguo particularly vigilant. Although he had never dealt with the British, he could smell danger from this snoop.
Moreover, this incident of the British suddenly coming directly to Bombay did not happen sooner or later. It happened after the battle with the Mughal Empire. Maybe it was the Mughal Empire who came for it. Strong support from the sea.
With this in mind, Li Dingguo did not dare to be careless, and immediately stepped up the construction of Bombay's defenses and stepped up war preparations. At the same time, he sent a clipper again to go to Goa to inform his allies, the Portuguese, and to Ceylon to report to the Governor.
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The leader of the British colonists in the East was named Max. Out of caution, he sent two warships to find out the true identity of the Ming people in Bombay. They received reports that the Ming army had about thirty or forty warships and the number of people was about three thousand to five. About a thousand people. Probably with the help of the Portuguese, they had Western-style sailing warships, but their technical level was average.
After hearing this report, Max was greatly relieved. With this small amount of troops, he is not afraid at all. So, while mobilizing troops and generals according to the strength of the Ming army in Bombay, he also sent people to contact the Mughal Empire, explaining that the army was very strong and needed to give some more benefits, so he risked his life to help the Mughal Empire. These Ming armies were destroyed.
The eldest prince Darashiko, who was responsible for communicating with these British colonists, was overjoyed when he heard that the British colonists could guarantee the destruction of the Ming army in Bombay. As for the additional demands made by the British colonists, he did not care.
So, he also went to Shah Jahan and made an impassioned speech, asking him to lead the army to Bombay and promise to kill the Ming army in Bombay and share the worries of his father Khan.
Of course Dara Shiko understood that if he wanted to finally sit on the throne, the support of the army was essential. If there is a winning battle to be won, it is the best opportunity to gain prestige and must not be missed.
The Taj Mahal was about to be completed, and Shah Jahan's heart was focused on the Taj Mahal. When he heard that his eldest son was so sensible, of course he agreed and even praised it a few times.
Finally, on September 18, the twenty-fifth year of Chongzhen, the Ming army in Bombay received a warning. They released the Pegasus at night and reported that the Mughal Empire army, which numbered about 20,000 people, was already huge. Coming to Mumbai in a mighty way.
Upon hearing this, Li Dingguo sent out a clipper again to report urgently. Then, he asked for details about the Mughal army.
After some understanding, he made a decision.
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The Mughal Empire's army totaled more than 25,000 people, of which Darashiko brought 5,000 elites from Delhi. The other 20,000 were local troops led by the local governor and returned to Darashi. Section command.
The Ming army only had 5,000 people. The Mughal Empire not only had an overwhelming force, but also had a simple mission, which was to garrison the coast and deter the Ming army on the island. As for the attack on Bombay, it was left to the British. Such a war would not be too easy.
Therefore, the Mughal Empire's army was very relaxed from top to bottom. It didn't feel like fighting at all along the way. It felt like traveling around the mountains and rivers, just like traveling.
Seeing that it is only a hundred miles away from Bombay, if the cavalry can run freely, they can reach it in one day. Darashiko started to get excited because it was his performance time.
A confidant on the side gave him advice: "This opportunity is rare. This battle requires the majesty of His Highness!"
It would be a great loss if we don't make good use of a battle that is certain to be won. Of course Dara Shiko also had this intention, so after some discussion, he immediately sent out cavalry and rushed to Bombay with great fanfare to intimidate the Ming army and tell the Ming army that he, the great prince of the Mughal Empire, Dara Shiko was coming. Got it!
As for the infantry and artillery, of course they could not do so quickly, so they were all left to the local governor and asked him to rush to Bombay.
As a result, on this night, what they never expected was that they encountered a night attack by the Ming army.
Yes, Li Dingguo learned through Ye Bushou that the incoming Mughal Empire's army was not very vigilant. He personally led the only 500 cavalry troops and advanced to meet them instead of defending. After the Mughal Empire's cavalry left, he was even more determined to attack at night and teach the Mughal Empire's army a lesson.
With the cover of night, Li Dingguo bluffed and used 500 cavalry as an army of 10,000 cavalry. The momentum created was astonishing, and he continued to set fire to the Mughal Empire's infantry.
Until dawn, Li Dingguo did not hesitate to fight. He immediately withdrew his troops and made a long circle to a harbor far east of Bombay. Here he boarded a waiting warship and avoided the cavalry of the Mughal Empire. Army, returned to Bombay.
Dara Shikoh was showing off his power on the Bombay coastline, humiliating the Ming army huddled in Bombay. As for himself, he was on a high ground by the coast, placing the tables and chairs he had brought with him, and his servants holding parasols. He sat there and smiled as he watched his men humiliate the Ming army opposite. Listening to the compliments from his confidants, he laughed out loud from time to time, and felt that there was nothing more joyful than this in life.
When he was happy, he suddenly heard a fast horse approaching. At first, he didn't care what could happen behind him. Besides, we had just arrived, so it was impossible for Father Khan to send someone to rush him.
As a result, what he never expected was that Kuaiqi looked panicked, which made him feel a little bad. When he heard that the army in the rear was attacked by the Ming army, causing heavy casualties and asking for reinforcements, his whole body went crazy. Confused: What's going on? Where did the Ming army come from? Aren't the Ming troops cowering on the island? Hadn't it been checked beforehand? There were only 5,000 people in total, so why were they attacked?
To be honest, he was a little overwhelmed at this time!
On the other hand, the general of the Royal Forest Army beside him was relatively calm and immediately asked Kuaiqi about the specific situation.
Naturally, this fast cavalry was sent out by the local governor to ask for help when it was attacked. Therefore, we don't know much about the real situation. When we tell it, it is that the Ming army has at least tens of thousands of people and a lot of cavalry, which are very powerful and so on.
But the general of the Royal Forest Army fought too many battles, and soon discovered the flaw, and finally concluded that the Ming army would never have many troops. After daybreak, the Ming army will withdraw!
However, even though he came to this conclusion, Kodala Shiko was unsure and still panicked. He was afraid that without the rear army, his side would be in danger. Therefore, the final order was given to immediately return aid.
By the time he reached the halfway point, a second wave of messengers had arrived, reporting the true situation of the battle.
It is said that there were one or two thousand Ming troops who attacked at night. They used the cover of night to cause chaos by using fire attacks. However, under the wise command of the local governor, the Ming army was finally repulsed at the cost of losing 5,000 people.
Upon hearing this, Darashiko breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, the entire army was not wiped out. As long as the war can be won in the end, this small defeat can be covered up.
However, the generals of the Royal Forest Army around him did not respond with all their heart and raised many questions. Then they arrived at the rear, ignored the local governor's report, surveyed the battlefield situation, and finally came to the conclusion that the army would never exceed 600 Riding, and taking the initiative to retreat, there is no loss at all.
His conclusion made both the local governor and Dara Shiko feel very embarrassed. The fight hadn't really started yet, and he was hit head-on by the Ming army. Tell me, where should I put my face?
Dara Shiko could imagine that when he returned to Delhi, after his brothers knew about this situation, they would definitely spread the word on his behalf and promote his "reputation".
Thinking of this, his face became extremely ugly.
But at least he had a confidant, and he immediately gave him an idea. He immediately reported it to Delhi and put all the responsibility for the defeat on the local governor. He also promised that as long as he personally commanded, he would be able to destroy the Ming army in Bombay. Promote the power of the Mughal Empire.
Of course, you still need to appease the local governor in private, and make a promise that as long as you take the blame, you will definitely make up for it when he becomes emperor in the future. The general who bribed the Royal Forest Army was also indispensable, and he also made a promise.
This kind of thing, if he really becomes the emperor, then it will naturally be fine. But if he encounters a powerful challenger to the throne, his incompetence will not be ignored just because he has made a promise.
As a result, this matter became entirely the fault of the local governor. Thanks to Dalashiko's wisdom and martial prowess, he only lost this small amount of troops and repelled the Ming army's attack.
This defeat, of course, taught Darashiko a lesson and made him never dare to underestimate the Ming army in Mumbai. In terms of military affairs, he also tried his best to obey the general of the Royal Forest Army and never dared to be careless again.
Although he finally led the army to Bombay safely and set up camp, he had to rely on sea power to truly deal with the Ming army in Bombay. But the British hadn't arrived yet, so Dalashiko had to wait.
Just like that, the war situation in Mumbai temporarily calmed down.
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On the other side, Shah Jahan's third son, Aurangzeb, also led the army towards the east. Unlike Dara Shiko, his purpose was clear from the beginning. Along the way, he tried his best to win over the generals of the Royal Forest Army. Continuously giving rewards and constantly showing favors, not only to the generals themselves, but also to other generals and soldiers of the Royal Forest Army, they all showed kindness and won a lot of praise.
When the army was slowly approaching Bengal, he changed his dilly-dallying approach and directly led the elite troops in his hands through Bengal at a very fast speed without even informing the local governor of Bengal. Go straight to Dong Wu.
Of course, Bangladesh was not useless, providing him with a guide who was familiar with nearby Dongwu.
Before the fighting on the Bombay side actually started, the war on Togo's side kicked off first.
