Water Margin: The opening scene involves assassinating Emperor Huizong of Song and forcibly taking L

However, if the number of foreign ships exceeds a certain amount, Parakramabahu will launch an attack.

He felt that such a large fleet was unsafe and would threaten his rule.

Another reason is that large fleets are very wealthy, and they can make a fortune by robbing a ship.

"Boom boom boom!"

The bow cannons of the Ming warships fired as they pursued the enemy.

Despite its low hit rate, it severely demoralized the enemy.

The constant splashing of water from the shells terrified the Ceylon soldiers.

They pursued them from the northwestern waters of Ceylon all the way to the northern waters.

Ceylonian ships, relying on the combined action of oars and sails, were faster than Ming warships, which had sails but no oars.

They fled further and further away, and gradually they became unattainable.

The British had no choice but to order the return flight.

Having confirmed that the Ming warships had left, Parakramabahu cautiously returned to his fiefdom port.

After gathering all the ships and taking a count, it turned out that a staggering thirty-eight ships had been lost in this battle!

If we hadn't run fast, we probably would have been wiped out!

Two days later, several hundred remnants of the army escaped back.

Parakaramopa asked, "You have also suffered a defeat?"

The officer who had fled said, "We can't win; the enemy's formation is very strange."

"There are also weapons that sound like thunder; people start dying from a great distance away."

"After charging a few dozen paces away, the enemy's formation was again billowing smoke with loud bangs."

"Many more arrows came, but we couldn't outshoot them, and soldiers fell one after another."

"Then they were routed. The enemy still had two or three hundred cavalrymen who chased after them and slaughtered them all the way."

"Are these the only soldiers left?" asked Parakramabahu.

The officer shook his head: "I don't know. There might be more alive, but they got separated along the way."

"The capital city has been besieged by the enemy. I wonder if the king will surrender."

...

The capital of Ceylon was called Polonnarufa, which was occupied by the Chola dynasty for a long time.

After successfully restoring the kingdom decades ago, the city was renamed "Victory City".

The king in the city of Victory was named Vishayavaha.

This guy has absolutely no political sense!

When his grandfather successfully restored the island, the official religion was Brahmanism.

His grandfather and father were both dedicated to the revival of Buddhism—the power of Brahmanism was so great that even official support for Buddhism was difficult to suppress, and there were many Brahmans in the army.

Half of the temples that Yu Yunwen saw in the harbor actually belonged to Brahmanism.

Just when Buddhism was able to rival Brahmanism, Vaishyavaha succeeded to the throne.

This guy immediately cut off his own limbs and frantically suppressed Buddhist groups that supported the royal family.

Not only did they forcibly take back all the treasures bestowed upon them by their grandfather and father from the Buddhist temple.

They even sent the Buddha's tooth, alms bowl, and relics all to the south, but refused to entrust them to Buddhist temples in the capital for safekeeping.

The reason is simple: the monks in the capital did not support him in the battle for the throne…

As a result, the monks became estranged from the king, and Brahmanism rose to prominence again.

Localities became fragmented and divided, and the army was no longer reliable.

The soldiers the king could rely on were actually Dhamira mercenaries who believed in Brahmanism.

The Dhamira people came from South India and were not native to Sri Lanka.

At this moment, cannons bombarded the city walls, and these mercenaries finally demonstrated their "loyalty".

A mercenary officer carrying a basket went out of the city and was brought before Zhu Xiaozhong: "We are Tuomiluo people, but we are hired by the king."

"If you give us enough money, we will open the city gates immediately, and even help you attack the palace!"

The South Indian merchants immediately translated.

Zhu Xiaozhong sneered: "Cut off his ear and send him back to deliver a message. If the defenders resist to the bitter end, kill them all after the city falls!"

Two screams rang out, and the officer, clutching his bloodied ears, ran in panic and fear toward the city wall.

Chapter 3633 Mercenaries

Moments later, the shelling resumed.

"Open the city gates! Open the city gates!" the mercenary commander shouted in a panic.

Just as the Dhamira mercenaries opened the city gates, a Sinhalese general arrived with his troops: "They're going to defect to the enemy! Charge in and seize the gates!"

The shelling continues outside the city, while infighting has broken out inside.

The Dhamma people, who are Brahmanical from South India, are fighting with the Sinhalese, the native Buddhists of the island.

King Vishayavaha was terrified in the palace, and when he learned that his army was fighting amongst themselves, he trembled with fear.

He took a group of palace guards, along with his wife and children, and packed up his gold and silver treasures, preparing to flee.

The Prime Minister, Vadagamani, advised, "Your Majesty, it was not us who attacked the Ming Dynasty, but the one who disobeyed the King's orders, Prajñāramo."

"Now we can send someone out of the city to negotiate, saying that we are willing to submit to the Ming Dynasty."

"In this way, we can both preserve the Victory City and gain the protection of the Ming Dynasty, preventing those local nobles from rebelling!"

"Yes, yes, yes! As long as they are willing to withdraw their troops, I am willing to offer half of my treasures and submit to the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty from now on!"

King Vaishyavaha suddenly realized what was happening and pointed at the prime minister, saying, "You go out of the city to negotiate yourself."

This prime minister was not afraid of death; he was a fierce general in his youth.

The two kings of Ceylon, the first and second kings, were both ruthless and aggressive, and the ministers they left behind were naturally also very fierce.

Unfortunately, the third king was incompetent and foolish, which led to the disunity of the whole country and the local nobles becoming separatist forces.

Prime Minister Vadagamani said, "Before negotiations, we need to eliminate the rebels in the city."

“I entrust all the palace guards to you. Quickly wipe out the Dhamira rebels!” said Vishayavaha.

The city's defenders were already locked in a fierce battle, leaving no one to defend the city walls.

The Ming army lacked proper siege equipment; the few dozen ladders they possessed were made from timber from nearby village houses that had been demolished when the city walls were being bombarded.

"Climb onto the city wall!"

But then they saw more than two thousand Ming soldiers, carrying more than ten wooden ladders that could fall apart at any moment, charging towards the city wall at full speed.

A few men climbed the ladders there, while the majority stood guard outside the city, hurling arrows into the city to cover their allies.

Melee soldiers were the first to climb up, followed by other types of soldiers.

Instead of rushing into the city recklessly, they stayed put and waited for reinforcements to arrive, gradually beginning to occupy an entire section of the city wall.

The defending forces within the city also saw a decisive battle, with the rebellious mercenaries falling into a disadvantageous position and retreating in panic towards the Ming army.

The Ming army split up and left the city wall, with one force going to occupy the city gate.

Seeing the fleeing soldiers approaching, the Ming general Dai Daquan shouted, "Those who charge will die!"

Without translation, I can't understand it.

The defeated rebel soldiers were overjoyed to see the Ming army, since their rebellion was motivated by fear of death and they wanted to surrender to the Ming army.

"Raise your guns! Fire!"

"Draw the bow! Release!"

"Raise the gun!"

The flintlock muskets and crossbows began firing in turn, while the pikemen crouched down, holding their rifles at the front.

Dozens of rebel soldiers were killed or wounded in an instant, and they were so frightened that they turned around and fled in the opposite direction.

Large numbers of routed soldiers clashed together and were attacked from both sides by the Ming army and the Sinhalese troops.

The clever little ones among the fleeing soldiers scurried to both sides of the street, kneeling and begging for mercy against the houses, it was unclear to whom they were surrendering.

After the Sinhalese soldiers broke through the routed troops, they still wanted to charge towards the Ming soldiers. The Prime Minister, Vadagamani, hurriedly shouted, "Retreat! Make them retreat! I need to go and negotiate!"

late.

The Ming troops, who had already reloaded their ammunition, fired again in shifts, this time targeting the Sinhalese soldiers.

The flintlock muskets and crossbows fired alternately, and the Sinhalese soldiers in the front ranks fell one after another.

Those few who managed to charge forward were stabbed by spearmen.

Moreover, the city gates had been opened, and more and more Ming troops were coming to join them. Two Ming army groups even went around to other streets to encircle the city.

Just then, the prime minister ordered a retreat, and the Sinhalese soldiers, who were already stunned by the attack, instinctively turned and fled.

As they retreated, it turned into a rout.

"Chase!"

The Ming soldiers' swordsmen, spearmen, and crossbowmen rushed out, while the flintlock musketeers stayed behind to reload.

"Da da da da..."

A clatter of hooves sounded as more than two hundred Ming cavalrymen charged into the city gate.

Vadagamani stood at the edge of the street, with a group of palace guards behind him and fleeing soldiers running past him.

Seeing that the situation was collapsing, he had no choice but to lead his troops back to the palace, because the palace was protected by a city wall.

The Ming cavalry had already overtaken the infantry and were chasing and killing the fleeing enemy soldiers, all the way to the outside of the palace walls.

Zhu Xiaozhong rode a fine horse and quickly arrived outside the palace: "Who is the ruler of Xilanchi?"

The South Indian merchant translator shouted, "The King, come out and speak!"

The king had already hidden in the palace, trembling with fear as he clung to his wife.

Vadagamani stood atop the city wall and shouted, "I am the Prime Minister. We are willing to submit to the Great Ming and will offer some wealth. We request that Your Excellency leave Victory City."

Zhu Xiaozhong angrily said, "Let the king speak for himself!"

Chapter 3634 The Gates of the Royal Palace

Left with no other option, Vadagamani had to send someone to invite the king.

King Visyapaha was dragged over, and he was so frightened that he could barely speak: "I...I...I am the king, I...I am willing to surrender!"

Suddenly, he became fluent in speech and said to the remaining soldiers who had fled into the palace, "Quickly lay down your weapons and open the palace gates."

The prime minister hesitated, but ultimately did not stop him.

The king was brought before Zhu Xiaozhong and forced to kneel, repeatedly kowtowing and pleading, "Spare me! Spare me!"

The prime minister looked speechless and said, "General, please calm down. The army that attacked you earlier was not the king's army."

“That man is called Parakramama, and he is the king’s uncle.”

"He disobeyed the king's orders and frequently extorted the king. The entire northeastern and eastern parts of the country were his territory."

“I will send troops to punish him,” Zhu Xiaozhong asked. “Are you willing to submit to the Ming Dynasty?”

"Yes, yes!" This time it was the king who answered first.

Zhu Xiaozhong nodded and smiled: "Very good. Prepare the official letter and tribute, and also send a prince as an envoy to accompany me on my return voyage to the Ming Dynasty."

"Furthermore, I suffered considerable losses in my military campaign, and you need to compensate me for the military expenses."

"Absolutely! I'm willing to offer half of the palace's treasures!"