My Pen Pal Zhu Yuanzhang

Chapter 246 Dead?

Not only Su Wang, but the other local officials also looked stunned. They looked at Xu Da and Li Wenzhong stupidly, their brains still unable to understand what was happening.

I was just racking my brains to think about what to do if the Annan army came to attack. Should I continue to retreat northward, or escape directly to the Ming Dynasty and make further plans?

Some local officials even packed up their belongings, ready to pack up and take their families north once news of defeat came.

The news of victory came just then, and the contrast between the two made it difficult for them to adapt.

I didn't expect the Ming army to win. How could the Ming army win?

Twenty thousand versus one hundred and fifty thousand. In their opinion, it would be good if they could hold out for two hours. But the war hasn't even lasted two hours, and it's over?

Even if there were 150,000 pigs ready to be slaughtered, it would be impossible to kill them so quickly.

In fact, when Xu Da and Li Wenzhong heard the news from the front line, they were also extremely shocked. The battle was over before the replenishment of bullets had even been delivered.

It seems that the effect brought by the new gun far exceeds the original expectations!

Seeing Su Wang and the other local officials looking as if they were in another world, Xu Da said, "Sir Xuanwei, what are you waiting for? If we have nowhere to put the captives after we bring them back, we will send them all to your home!"

Under Xu Da's urging, Su Wang and others finally woke up as if from a dream, and then they couldn't help but feel ecstatic in their hearts. They won, they really won!

The Ming Dynasty's Heavenly Soldiers are indeed worthy of their reputation!

Su Wang said hurriedly: "Yes, General Xu, I will order someone to clear the open space to accommodate the prisoners!"

Then he looked at the local official beside him, "What are you still standing there for? Didn't you hear what General Xu said? Hurry up and move, or we'll send all the prisoners back home!"

"Yes, I'll do it right away!"

The local officials suddenly perked up, shook off their previous dejection, and went about their work with smiles on their faces.

It has to be said that people feel refreshed when good things happen. When the good news of victory was heard, the whole camp was in an uproar. Under the command of the local officials, the local soldiers worked with great enthusiasm, as if the victory was won by them.

Look, before the Ming army on the front line came back, they quickly cleared out a large open space and built a number of prisoner camps with wooden boards and bamboo. Of course, these were used to hold prisoners, so they were not so sophisticated.

It was dozens of miles from the front line to the barracks. Calculating the time, the Ming army soldiers would be back soon. Su Wang ordered people to prepare a large amount of fine wine and delicious food, so that they could drink a celebratory wine together when the soldiers came back.

As the sun was setting, everyone was waiting outside the camp, looking forward to it. Suddenly, someone shouted, "Look, they're back! They're back!"

Everyone looked in the direction of the sound, and saw on the road ahead, the Ming army marching towards them in a mighty procession. They held their heads high and chests puffed out, their faces filled with the joy of victory under the setting sun.

However, Xu Da always felt that something was missing. Suddenly, he slapped his thigh. Oh, ever since the Ming army began to equip itself with muskets on a large scale, in order to facilitate the soldiers' mobile operations, they no longer issued useless armor.

Instead, they followed the example of the camouflage uniforms sent by Li Han and began to equip the Ming army with training uniforms and bullet bags that were convenient for movement.

Although the combat effectiveness and mobility have been improved, the feeling of "the flags fluttering in the cold light, and the armor sparkling in the sun" is missing.

It seems that when you gain something, you will also lose something else, Xu Da smiled, but it is good like this now, which symbolizes that the Ming Dynasty’s army has entered a new era!
As more and more people came into view, everyone saw that behind the Ming army, there was a group of Annan captives who were covered in dust and dirt.

However, when they saw a huge crowd of captives that stretched as far as the eye could see, Su Wang, the local officials and a group of local soldiers once again widened their eyes and opened their mouths, their jaws almost dropping to the ground.

It seems that the number of captives is greater than the number of Ming troops!

They couldn't imagine how the Ming army on the front line fought against the Annan army, but judging from the results, this was definitely a brilliant victory! With the support of the invincible Ming army, their position would be more stable. When Suwang and the local officials thought of this, they stood up straighter than before. Humph, let's see if Annan dares to show off in front of Laos in the future!

Among them, Suwang was the most proud. Although he was the Xuanwei Envoy of Laos in name, in fact, his territory was under the jurisdiction of the Lao Xuanwei Office, which also included part of Zhenla and Siam.

With this unprecedented victory, I am afraid that the chieftains of Siam and Cambodia will bow their heads in front of me.

Li Wenzhong spotted Li Jinglong in the crowd at a glance. This guy was walking at the front of the team, carrying a steel gun, and striding with his head held high, as if he was the general leading this army.

Seeing his smug look, Li Wenzhong wanted to go up and give him a beating. Look at Zhu Di and Xu Huizu, they were very low-key and introverted, and learned how to control themselves. That was what a mature soldier should be like.

However, this was the first time this kid had won a battle, so Li Wenzhong thought about it and decided to let him be proud for a while, and then give him a good beating after returning to Yingtian Prefecture.

Greeted by Xu Da and others, the Ming army soldiers returned triumphantly. They put the captives in batches into the nearby camp, and then took Fan Keyong out alone.

As for what to do, of course it was to interrogate him. After capturing the General of Chariots and Cavalry of the Annan army, the natural thing was to extract useful information from his mouth.

Inside the big tent, Fan Keyong, who was tied up, faced Xu Da and others. Although he looked a little dejected, his eyes were still defiant.

Xu Da missed Mao Xiang a little at this time. When it came to interrogating prisoners, this guy was a professional.

However, after Yebushou was officially incorporated into the reconnaissance team, it had become a permanent part of the Musket Battalion. The military's intelligence reconnaissance mission fell entirely on the reconnaissance team.

As for the Jinyiwei, their focus was on the territory of the Ming Dynasty. The incident of the Japanese envoys snooping into the Ming Dynasty's industry some time ago had already sounded the alarm for Zhu Yuanzhang. The counter-espionage work in the Ming Dynasty had a long way to go.

Of course, this also reminded him that if other countries could spy on the Ming Dynasty, the Ming Dynasty could naturally also spy on other countries' information, including military strength, economy, political power structure, etc. These tasks fell on the Jinyiwei, and the first naval voyage also brought the Jinyiwei valuable intelligence gathering experience.

It’s just a pity that after the Jinyiwei no longer accompanied the army, Xu Da lost the help of the interrogation expert and was really at a loss when faced with the unyielding Fan Keyong.

During the Northern Expedition, Mao Xiang had taught Xu Da and Li Wenzhong some interrogation techniques. If one wanted to pry open a prisoner's mouth, torture was only one of the means. The most important thing was to completely break down the prisoner's psychological defenses.

But how to break down the psychological defenses is Mao Xiang's specialty, and he won't teach it all to others.

With a teeth-grinding sound of "snapping", a Ming army soldier whipped Fan Keyong hard with his whip.

"Tell me, how many Annan troops are there in Laos, who are their generals, and how are they deployed?"

"I bother!"

Fan Keyong spat out a mouthful of bloody phlegm. His body was already covered in blood. Sweat and blood mixed together and soaked his clothes. However, he still stared at Xu Da viciously, as if he wanted to bite off a piece of his flesh.

"Tsk, tsk."

Xu Da sucked his teeth and said, "General Fan, I admire your courage, but what's the point of your persistence? Who are you loyal to, the King of Annan or Li Jiliu?"

"Hmph, Prime Minister Li has promoted me, how can I betray him?" Fan Keyong said gritting his teeth.

"I will go find trouble with Li Jilian sooner or later. But even if Li Jilian usurps the throne, what does it matter? His son is already dead. What's the point of being a king without descendants?"

"what?"

Fan Keyong's eyes suddenly widened, and he looked at Xu Da in disbelief, "What did you say? Master Li, he's dead?"

(End of this chapter)