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Chapter 868 864 [Siam and Eight Hundred Si]

In ancient China, when marching and fighting, if the army relied solely on land transportation to transport food, the army could bring its own food for 5-10 days, and the projection distance of its troops was about 500 kilometers. If the enemy strengthens the wall and clears the field, the projection distance will be greatly shortened because there will be no food available along the way.

At this time, a logistics supply system is needed. If there are vehicles, ships and other tools to transport food, a large station will be set up about 60 miles away. If transportation was purely based on human labor, small stations would be set up about 10 miles away, and the laborers would rotate the transportation in batches, so as to ensure the speed of food transportation.

Transporting food is so troublesome, and enemy cities encountered along the way must be captured one by one.

Because the army can pass around the city, but the grain transport team in the rear cannot. Once the army moves far away, the enemy will come out of the city, cut off our army's food routes, or even burn our army's rear food stations.

However, never take the situation in ancient China and apply it to other countries at the same time!

Take the European Middle Ages as an example. Only 10% of military rations were provided by logistics, and the remaining 90% relied on soldiers' own supplies, merchant trade, and on-site robbery.

It was not until the Thirty Years' War that the logistics system was gradually improved. For example, the military warehouse system in France was established during the Richelieu period. Even with the military warehouse system, the logistics principle in the Louis XIV era was still: only supplies that could not be raised abroad were transported from home.

More than a hundred years ago, when the Toungoo Dynasty fought the Battle of Pyay, all military supplies relied on ships provided by the Meng people, which were transported directly to the front line in one go.

At that time, there were troops of the Ava Dynasty in the north, and the waterway in the south was completely blocked by Arakan warships. Therefore, the Toungoo dynasty's army had no food channels at all, but they were still able to besiege the city for more than five months until they finally won the war.

This time, if the strength of the Datong Army on the South Road is reduced by half and then halved again, there will be no need for supplies along the way. It will be enough to rely solely on the grain transport ships accompanying the army.

As for Mangtai's tens of thousands of pursuing troops, they only had one or two months of food when they were stationed in Pyaimai City. This cargo went all the way north, collecting food and grass during the march, and ordered officials from various places to send it quickly. The tens of thousands of troops were actually tens of thousands of civilians. They brought their own rations with their ships and livestock. There was no so-called logistics transport team at all.

When Mangtai returned to Shaobu City with more than 3,000 main troops to defend, good news came from the east.

The local aristocratic troops assembled in Mawlamyine, Bago, Daguang (Yangon) and other places went north from the narrow plain in the east, then turned west to block the retreat of the Datong Army. By this time, thousands of people had arrived in Kyaukbodong. . There are more troops on the way, and they can all come and join Mangtai. The troops in the Toungoo area had received orders to go to the capital early and were rushing from the north to reinforce Bagan City.

Once the ministries arrive successfully, two-thirds of Myanmar's army will encircle the troops of Ding Jiasheng and Yang Zhan.

Whether it's going deep alone or blooming in the center, Ding Jiasheng and Yang Zhan did it too hard this time. The radical and crazy marching method penetrated into the heart of Myanmar, just like poking a hornet's nest. The Myanmar army did not even care about the northern border.

Huang Yao and Liu Xinyu's northern army only had to face one-third of the Burmese army, and the rest of the Burmese army came to attack Ding Jiasheng and Yang Zhan.

Ding Jiasheng and Yang Zhan are not yet able to engage in mobile warfare at will, because they have too few civilians, and all their logistics are on grain ships, and they can only move along the front line of the Irrawaddy River.

Just when they were about to be surrounded, fighting broke out in other groups.

Arakan, the little overlord of the sea in the Bay of Bengal, as a die-hard affiliated force of Myanmar, brought more than 40 large and small warships and more than 2,000 army personnel to come to support by sea.

They collided with the Datong Navy stationed there near the mouth of the Irrawaddy River.

The Datong Navy greeted them warmly and gave them a "gun salute" as a greeting.

The naval commander of Arakan took a look at the ships of the Datong Navy and immediately issued a very rude order. They didn't even say hello, and didn't even fire a few "gun salutes". They just returned the same way they came, going back to where they came from and no longer getting involved in the war between China and Myanmar.

On the Siamese side, King Narai led 500 Datong troops and more than 30,000 Siamese soldiers to take the seaside city of Langajun in southeastern Myanmar.

Siam and Myanmar are enemies.

Over a hundred years ago, the war never stopped. Now I will surround your capital, and now you will surround my capital. Even if there is no Datong Army, there will be a war in ten years. The Siamese army will go directly to Bagan City (the city that Ding Jiasheng wants to fight now).

It is impossible to tell whose homeland is Langgaru or earth tiles. Anyway, as long as it is occupied by the other party, it is said to be one's own lost land.

Due to the violent advance of the Datong Army, Langa Shu's Burmese army has quickly gathered north.

The Siamese army was stunned and the Burmese army was caught off guard. In just five days, Longgarhu was captured by King Narai, who then continued to attack the coastal city of Dawei.

Dawei also fell quickly, and the Siamese army headed towards Moulmein.

Further north of Mawlamyine is Maduba, the old capital of the Mon people. All the Mon nobles in the city were forced to move to Bago, but the countryside was still dominated by the Mon people.

"Your Highness, please enforce military discipline and don't plunder the Meng people!"

The speaker was Meng Rui, a missionary of the 500-strong Datong Army who was borrowed by Siam. He said: "According to the information provided by Xizuo, the Mon people do not submit to the rule of the Burmese. The Mon people in the countryside of Mawlamyine and Maduba There are many, and if we plunder them with troops, it will arouse the resistance of the Mon people. It is better to use Bayeux to spread the message, saying that we are here to help the Mon people, help them overthrow the Burmese rule, and help them restore the country in Maduba."

More than a hundred years ago, Myanmar and Siam both wrote on Bayeux, and Bayeux writing was invented by the Mon people.

Now using Bayeux to send a message to the Mon people, and the content is to help them restore the country, it will definitely win the favor of the Mon people. The Mon people's nobles will bring their own dry food and recruit soldiers to accompany them.

King Narai hesitated: "But decades ago, when Siam captured Moulmein, they robbed the local Mon people. Do they really believe it?"

Meng Rui said: "In order to restore the country, they are willing to believe it."

Counselor Yang Dongkui said: "Your Highness can promise that Siam only needs the two cities of Langgarshu and Dawei, and Moulmein and Matuba in the north to be ruled by the Mon people. Our army will maintain military discipline and will not rob the Mon people. , captured Moulmein with all their strength. Then, handed over Moulmein to the Mon people, wouldn't the Mon people burst into tears after getting the city? And to the north of Moulmein is Maduba, the old capital of the Mon people. In order to regain the old capital, they also How could there not be a collective response?”

King Narai was a little unhappy about this. His original plan was to take the opportunity to annex all Moulmein and Maduba.

Yang Dongkui persuaded in a low voice: "Your Majesty, just give up when you see fit. Don't make the Celestial Empire unhappy. If you take down Langgarsu and Dawei, you have regained your homeland. Who else in Siam will disobey you?"

King Nalai thought about it, gritted his teeth and said, "Okay, give Moulmein to the Meng people!"

The defenders of Moulmein had only a thousand people left at this time.

Thirty thousand Siamese troops took two days to conquer. Then they set off to plunder and plunder the city, and then handed it over to the Meng nobles after the looting was completed.

The Meng people were given an empty city that was riddled with holes, and they had no right to despise it, so they happily accepted it. This situation quickly spread throughout the surrounding villages and towns, and a large number of Mon landowners and farmers came to help the Siamese army fight.

Because further north is the old capital of the Meng Dynasty!

The missionary officer Meng Rui summoned the Mon landowners alone and promised: "The Toungoo Kingdom established by the Burmese is disrespectful to the emperor of the Celestial Dynasty. As long as the Mon people cooperate in fighting, they will be allowed to restore the country in the future. Maduba can be established as the capital. You can also make Bago the capital, and you will have your own country from now on."

Maduba and Bago are both the old capitals of the Meng people!

The Mon landowners were overjoyed. They did not know where to get a nobleman, who was said to be a royal descendant of the Baigu (Bago) dynasty, and directly declared the founding of the country in Mawlamyine, which had been robbed.

Next, the Siamese and Mongolian forces jointly captured Maduba, and the Siamese army looted the city again.

The coalition forces quickly moved towards Bago, where a large number of Mongolian nobles lived in Bago City.

When the two armies arrived at the city, the Mongolian nobles in the city took the opportunity to riot, and they cooperated internally and externally to capture Bago City in one fell swoop.

Close cooperation comes to an end.

First, the Siamese army sacked Bago, causing strong dissatisfaction among the Mon people. Then the internal conflicts among the Mon people intensified. The Mon landowners from the southern countryside could not urinate in the same pot as the Mon nobles from Bago.

The Mon landowners, in particular, had elected a king, and the nobles had also introduced royal descendants.

Five hundred Datong troops acted as intermediaries, suppressing internal conflicts and urging the three parties to rush to the north. They could plunder Burmese cities along the way.

At the same time, the Mon people announced the official restoration of the country as their capital in Bago, and issued a Baye proclamation in the name of the king, calling on the Mon people throughout Myanmar to rise up in rebellion.

These guys went all the way north. Since the Burmese army was deployed to surround Ding Jiasheng and Yang Zhan, they encountered no decent resistance at all along the way. Half a month later, we were already approaching Toungoo City, the old capital of the Toungoo Dynasty!

The Burmese army who went to surround the Datong Army were frightened when they received the news, and all those who had not gone too far returned to defend.

The allied forces of Siam and Mongolia were blocked outside Taungoo City. This city is too strong and heavily guarded, and it cannot be defeated for a while.

Eastern Front.

King Narai sent an envoy, accompanied by several Datong troops, to order the Eight Hundred Division to send troops quickly.

The seat of the Eight Hundred Division is Jingmai (Chiang Mai), and its leader is named Zhao Lengzhai.

He was the envoy of Eight Hundred Dadian who was conferred by the Ming Dynasty, the leader of Jingmai who was conferred by Siam, and the local nobleman who was conferred by Myanmar. So, when China, Burma, and Siam are at war, which side should he help?

"China is strong and we cannot disobey the emperor's orders."

"China is too far away and the Burmese are too close. We cannot offend the Burmese."

"But Siam is closer. If we don't help Siam fight the war, we will be punished."

“What if the Burmese win?”

"The Burmese cannot win. This time China and Siam are joining forces to attack the Burmese."

"Why don't we wait and see which side wins."

"..."

The poor and naughty Eight Hundred Division immediately recruited troops and collected food and grass.

They first told the Chinese and Siamese envoys that they would send troops to help, but it would take time to mobilize troops to collect food. He also secretly sent an envoy to Ava, the capital of Myanmar, saying that he was recruiting troops and would soon be able to send troops to help Myanmar.

When the Eight Hundred Division completes its gathering of troops, the situation should be clear, and whichever side has the upper hand will fall to that side.

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