My Pen Pal Zhu Yuanzhang

Chapter 238 Entering Laos
After arriving in Yunnan, many of the young men from Yingtian Prefecture and inland areas thought that the conditions here were difficult and the climate was harsh, but they did not expect that this place south of the colorful clouds had a pleasant climate and four seasons like spring.

It is the hottest time of summer, but the sun here is not that scorching. The warm sunshine makes people feel lazy, and there is a breeze blowing from time to time, making people feel extremely cool.

Even at night, people can still feel a slight chill. The only drawback is that there are more mosquitoes.

Compared with the scorching heat in Yingtian Prefecture, Yunnan is simply a summer resort!
However, there was no time to enjoy the cool climate and beautiful scenery. The 100,000 southern expeditionary troops were divided into two groups. One group, consisting of 50,000 troops fully equipped with needle-fired rifles, was led by the commander-in-chief Fu Youde and went to the Xuanweishisi to meet with Liu Chengde to suppress and clear out the rebellious chieftains.

This is also the first time that Fu Youde has performed the duties of the commander-in-chief since taking office.

The other route, including a 30,000-man musket battalion equipped with needle-fired rifles and a 20,000-man musket battalion equipped with Type 56 semi-automatic rifles, plus the artillery battalions of the Pingyi Guard and Yuezhou Guard in Yunnan, continued to move south under the leadership of General Zhennan Xu Da.

Their mission was to go deep into the heart of Laos to fight against the Annan army, and then cross the border directly from Laos into Annan, like a sharp sword, piercing the heart of Annan - Jiaozhou Prefecture!

In fact, in Xu Da's view, as long as there were 20,000 musket battalions equipped with the latest semi-automatic rifles and a 5,000-man artillery battalion, it would be enough to sweep across Laos and Annan. If there were sufficient supplies, even Cambodia, Siam and other countries would be no problem.

These 20,000-strong musket battalion was not only equipped with new guns, but each battalion was also equipped with ten radio transmitters to facilitate coordinated operations. Even the reconnaissance team of the sniper battalion was equipped with a set of night vision equipment.

The elite reconnaissance team in the sniper battalion was reorganized from the former Yebushou and has become a formal unit in the Ming army's combat sequence.

The role of radio and night vision equipment in enhancing the combat effectiveness of troops had already been verified in actual combat during the Northern Expedition to the desert.

That can really achieve the effect of a surprise attack!

In fact, if it weren't for the need to capture cities, Li Wenzhong wouldn't even want to bring the artillery battalion. His fighting style was to launch a quick surprise attack with surprise troops, and the artillery battalion would only slow down the pace of the attack.

However, Xu Da was the commander-in-chief and he was only the deputy commander-in-chief, so everything still had to be under Xu Da's command.

"I always thought Yunnan was a barbarian land, but I didn't expect that not only is the climate here pleasant, but the local customs and people are also unique!"

Li Jinglong sighed, "I want to live here forever and not respond to Tianfu anymore."

All the way from Yingtian Prefecture to Yunnan, Li Jinglong was no longer as nervous as when he first set out on the expedition. Now he felt like he was not on a southern expedition, but rather traveling around the mountains and rivers with a gun on his back.

Zhu Di also felt the same way. "Yingtianfu is too cold in the winter and too hot in the summer. I heard that it is not only cool in the summer but also not cold in the winter. It is really a blessed land, and it deserves the reputation of the South of the Colorful Clouds!"

"I wonder what Laos is like. Is it as beautiful and pleasant as Yunnan?" Li Jinglong couldn't help but feel a little longing.

"Who knows? We'll know when we get there." Zhu Di held a piece of grass in his mouth, looking very relaxed.

"Come on, you two, do you really think you are here for sightseeing?"

Xu Huizu said solemnly: "Be serious, we will enter the war zone in a few days, so cheer up!"

"Okay, I'll listen to your brother-in-law!" Although Zhu Di said this, he still looked relaxed and happy.

Not only Zhu Di, but all the troops heading south were almost the same. Except for the artillery battalion, the rest of the people were veterans who had experienced the Northern Expedition. They did not seem nervous when facing the Mongolian army, and they were even more relaxed at this time.

The climate in Yunnan is pleasant, which is many times better than that in the desert. Having survived such a harsh environment in the desert, this southern expedition will be a piece of cake for us.

But they soon paid a small price for their carelessness.

They traveled all the way from Kunming through Li'e, and then from Li'e to Chelifu. However, after entering Chelifu, they encountered heavy rains one after another.

Moreover, the jungle in Chelifu was densely covered with mosquitoes and miasma, which made the Ming army suffer a lot. However, this was not enough. The heavy rain overnight caused the paper-wrapped bullets transported along the way to be seriously damp, and many of them were even soaked and could not be fired at all.

The bullets could not be used, and the troops equipped with needle-fired rifles lost their combat effectiveness. Xu Da made a prompt decision and stationed 30,000 troops in the Cheli Xuanwei Office. He and Li Wenzhong continued to lead 20,000 musket battalions and 5,000 artillery battalions and continued to march towards Laos.

Due to continuous rain, the ground was full of mud. The Ming army soldiers advanced in the mud, one step deep and one step shallow. After several days of forced march, they finally arrived in Laos.

Laos is a tropical region with a hot and humid climate, which caused the Ming army to suffer a lot.

Zhu Di kept shouting all the way that he would rather go to the desert and eat sand for a few days than get wet in the rain and get bitten by insects in this broken place.

After overcoming numerous obstacles and hardships along the way, the 25,000 Ming troops finally arrived at their garrison, the Nanchang area of ​​Upper Laos. Nanchang is located to the southeast of Xiengkhouang and Vientiane, from which they could launch a southward attack against the Annan army that was wreaking havoc in Xiengkhouang and Vientiane.

Moreover, Nanzhang is also the location of the Lao Xuanwei Office appointed by the Ming Dynasty!

When the army was stationed, it happened to be sunny for half a day, so Xu Da ordered the army to rest and deploy defenses on the spot, and at the same time sent out a reconnaissance team to conduct reconnaissance.

Suwang, the Laotian envoy, was also looking forward to the arrival of the Ming army after a long wait.

After Zhu Yuanzhang appointed Laos Xuanweisi, he did not directly transfer officials from the Ming Dynasty, but directly appointed local prestigious native officials as Xuanweishi.

Suwang met all of Zhu Yuanzhang's requirements. He had a high reputation in the local area, studied in the Ming Dynasty and was loyal to it. He also spoke fluent Ming Mandarin, making him the perfect candidate for the Laotian Xuanwei envoy.

Su Wang led a group of important officials from the Xuanwei Office, as well as many local specialties and delicacies, to the Ming army's garrison.

However, at a rough glance, the size of the Ming army did not seem to be very large, only about 20,000 people, which made him feel suspicious.

The great Annan general Nguyen Duo Fang claimed to have an army of 500,000. The mere 20,000 Ming troops were not even enough to fill his teeth!

With an uneasy mood, Su Wang met Xu Da and Li Wenzhong in the general's tent at the garrison.

"General Xu, General Li, you have traveled a long way and it must be very tiring. Laos is not as prosperous as the Ming Dynasty. I brought a little gift to you, the soldiers of the Ming army. I hope you will not despise it!"

Su Wang studied in the Ming Dynasty and was familiar with the etiquette of the Ming Dynasty. After paying his respects to Xu Da and Li Wenzhong, he asked his men to present local delicacies.

At the same time, he ordered his men to distribute it to other Ming army soldiers.

When Su Wang said that they were exhausted from the long journey, he was not being polite. Xu Da and his party had traveled nearly ten thousand miles from Yingtian Prefecture to Nanzhan, Laos. Seeing the local delicacies, they were a little hungry.

He didn't hesitate to eat and started enjoying the meal with Li Wenzhong. After all, this was not Yingtian Prefecture, so there was no need to follow so many rules.

Besides, if you are polite to others, they may think you are disgusted.

Seeing Xu Da and Li Wenzhong eating heartily, Suwang and his companions felt relieved. It seemed that Xu Da and Li Wenzhong did not despise Laos, a poor place.

While the two were enjoying their meal, Su Wang asked, "General Xu, how many soldiers will the Ming army bring this time?"

Xu Da pointed outside the big tent and said without raising his head: "It's all outside, you saw it all."

Su Wang couldn't help but take a breath. Looking at Xu Da's expression, he didn't think he was joking, but what effect could a mere 20,000 people have?

Does the Ming Dynasty really overestimate itself, or does it underestimate Annan?
(End of this chapter)