Chapter 594 Then let’s take advantage of their own tactic!

Staff members from the General Staff Office and commanders of various teams rushed to the captain’s room of the flagship “Ningbo” one after another.

After calling the roll and everyone was present, Yu Dayou announced the start of the meeting.

A staff officer from the General Staff spoke first.

“Marshal, just now you called Cha Manyinglong, and a staff officer found out.”

“Oh, tell me about the origin of this Man Yinglong.”

A staff officer immediately responded: “Yes!

Man Yinglong was the second ruler of the Toungoo Kingdom. After unifying the Pagan area, he sent troops eastward and conquered the Lanna Kingdom (capital Chiang Mai) in the 35th year of Jiajing. The Lanna Kingdom’s ally, the Lan Xang Kingdom (Nanchang), sent troops to assist but failed and withdrew.

In the 37th year of Jiajing, Man Yinglong sent troops on the pretext that the Lan Xang Kingdom sent troops to aid the Lanna Kingdom. He invaded the territory of the Lan Xang Kingdom and stole the golden seal bestowed by the Ming Dynasty on the King of Lan Xang.

The King of Lancang asked for help from the Ming Dynasty and sent a document explaining the loss of the golden seal. The document was filed in the Ministry of Rites. When the Intelligence Bureau of the Navy Department sorted out the intelligence of the South China Sea, it obtained the document. “

“continue!”

“Yes, Marshal.

During the Zhengtong period, the Ming Dynasty conquered Luchuan three times, and the Luchuan chieftain Si was forced to move west to Mengyang (now Kachin State, Myanmar) west of the Jinsha River (Irrawaddy River).

Over the next hundred years, the Luchuan chieftain Si clan gradually recovered and became stronger again.

In the sixth year of Jiajing, Luchuan chieftain Silun joined forces with his allies Mengpeng, Mengmi and other chieftains to march south to attack Mengawa (Ava Kingdom). After eight days of fierce fighting, they captured Yunawa (Ava City), killed King Mang Jisui and his wife and children, and destroyed the Ava Kingdom.

Most of Meng’awa’s territory was occupied by Si’s clan, and Mengpeng and Mengmi withdrew their troops after obtaining the northeastern part of Meng’awa. Silun sent his son Sihong to guard Yun’awa, and he himself returned to Mengyang.

The Man clan of Toungoo rose to power, and Mengava and Si clans were defeated repeatedly. By the 41st year of Jiajing, all the southern Mengava countries had surrendered to Toungoo, and Luchuan Si clan only retained the area north of Ava city.

In that year, Man Yinglong sent a general to lead the army northward along the Jinsha River, showing off his strength in Ava, Mengyang, Mengmi, Mubang and other places. The chieftains such as the Si family did not dare to withstand his attack and retreated one after another. They also wrote to the Ming Dynasty for help.

The document is preserved in the Honglu Temple.”

After the staff officer finished speaking, Yu Dayou’s frown relaxed and he laughed, “You really have aspirations for the Yunnan border of our Ming Dynasty. Now that you have found it, you don’t have to worry about a poisonous snake lying beside you without knowing it.

The intelligence team should pay attention to collecting intelligence from Pagan, especially from Man Yinglong, and report it back to the Navy Intelligence Bureau in a timely manner.”

“Yes!”

The Navy Intelligence Bureau is affiliated to the General Bureau of Intelligence and Reconnaissance, which is directly under the military government. However, since the intelligence it collects is spread all over the world, the territory is vast and the distance is long, it is often isolated overseas for several years. It is very special, so it is semi-independent.

It almost copied the entire set of institutions of the Intelligence and Reconnaissance Bureau, including the Analysis Center, Confidential Department, Operations Department, and Logistics Department. In addition to the intelligence bureaus set up in several major naval offices, there are stations or offices in every military port, and every naval fleet going out to sea will also be equipped with an intelligence team.

The Naval Intelligence Bureau operated almost independently, only reporting intelligence to the General Directorate of Reconnaissance on a regular basis.

After nearly ten years of operation and changes, the Ming Dynasty’s intelligence system is now divided into three major parts. The Jinyiwei focuses on local areas and the military, the Commercial Investigation Section collects commercial information and public opinion at home and abroad, and the General Administration of Intelligence is strong in external affairs.

The East Factory became the “Central Intelligence Agency”, and the intelligence of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, the Commercial Investigation Department and the Intelligence Reconnaissance Bureau was summarized in its hands and then reported to Zhu Yijun.

In addition, the East Factory has a directly affiliated department which is very mysterious and is responsible for monitoring all civil and military officials.

Yu Dayou continued, “How to deal with Mang Yinglong is a matter for the future. Now we should deal with Chittagong first. It seems that it is very necessary to deal with Chittagong now.”

A deputy general asked curiously: “Marshal, why is this?”

Yu Dayou glanced at Jose standing in the corner and said, “Intelligence shows that Mang Yinglong was able to win battles one after another and unify Pagan. In addition to his own ability, the strong combat power of the Portuguese musketeers and warships he hired was also an important reason.

There are two places where Man Yinglong hired Portuguese musketeers and warships, one is Malacca, and the other is Chittagong in Bengal. Now that Malacca has been recaptured by the Ming Dynasty and Chittagong has been destroyed, it will not be so easy for Man Yinglong to hire musketeers and warships again.

It won’t be easy for him to win every battle.”

Everyone looked at each other and said nothing.

Yu Dayou continued, “Chittagong is a pirate den, and we specialize in fighting pirates. Such a doghouse must be knocked down and filled up to vent our anger.

Now, Jose, the staff officer of the General Staff, will explain the situation in Chittagong to you.”

Jose?

Before anyone could react, Jose walked out of the crowd, stood in front of the map, touched the brim of his hat with his right hand, and saluted everyone.

he?
This foreign devil?
Although the generals in the army were accustomed to naturalized officers, Jose’s identity was too special. From Leon’s adjutant to Calderon’s adjutant, and now to a mercenary officer of the Suzaku Navy, he was a typical slave of three surnames. He even gave himself the name Fengxian.

Lu Fengxian, He Fengxian.

Not ashamed, but proud!

Yu Dayou glanced around, taking in everyone’s expressions, and glared, “Have you ever been to Chittagong?”

No one dared to answer.

Yu Dayou continued to ask: “I want to ask you, have you ever been to Chittagong?”

One general replied: “I have never been there!”

“You haven’t been to Chittagong. Jose has been there and stayed there for half a year.” Yu Dayou snorted, “Now you have nothing to say, listen carefully!”

Yu Dayou waved his hand and signaled Jose to start.

“Dear commander, generals, let me tell you about Chittagong. I will start with the Bengal region to which Chittagong belongs.

The entire Bengal region can actually be seen as the estuary of two major rivers and their deltas.

There are two big rivers. The big river in the west is the Ganges River in India, and the big river in the east is called the Yamuna River (Brahmaputra River). Then they converge in the northwest of Dhaka, the capital of the Bengal Sultanate, and then divide into more than a dozen rivers and flow into the sea.

Chittagong is located on the east side of the estuary. It is a natural harbor with a wide water surface and deep draft.

Jose briefly described the situation in Chittagong, and then gave a straightforward suggestion: “The weather in Bengal is divided into three seasons a year: winter from November to February, summer from March to June, and the rainy season from July to October.

Now is the time when summer has just passed and the rainy season is about to begin. I personally think it is the best time.”

Someone immediately asked, “Why?”

“One of the main purposes of our attack on Chittagong was to eliminate pirates. Pirate activities are mainly concentrated in winter and summer, when the southeast wind and northwest wind blow respectively, which is the time when merchant ships travel east and west.

After the pirates finish their work in the summer, they will rush back to Chittagong before the rainy season arrives to sell their stolen goods, buy weapons, repair their ships, and rest.”

“Recue and take a rest.” Someone corrected.

Jose was not annoyed, he chuckled and said, “Right, right, take a rest. According to past experience, at least two-thirds of the pirates in the waters of Pagan are concentrated in Chittagong at this time, so it’s just right for us to catch them all in one fell swoop.”

Everyone looked at each other in bewilderment. This foreigner had a point. “How do you catch them all in one fell swoop?”

Seeing everyone’s expressions, as if they regarded him as one of their own, Jose became more spirited and more energetic.

“Chittagong is not on the seaside but is located in a river bend, winding along a river called Karnaphuli for 20 to 30 miles.

The Karnaphuli River is two to three hundred meters wide and more than six meters deep, but it is not suitable for large sailing ships because its river channel is winding and is more suitable for local paddle boats and Arab dhows commonly used by pirates.

In the 1518th year of the Zhengde reign (), the Portuguese expeditionary team failed to capture Chittagong because of this reason.

The generals looked at each other, what is this kid talking about?
The Suzaku Navy was built with twelve large sailing ships of the Crown Prince as the skeleton, thirty-eight Wusong ships of 1,200 to 1,600 tons, seventy-six Wusong ships of 600 to 1,000 tons, and hundreds of other frigates, cruisers, and Fujian and Guangdong ships.

The main force behind the battle is the large sailing ships. Now you say that the hydrology of Chittagong is not suitable for large sailing ships to fight. Then why do you swear so confidently that you will catch all the pirate ships in Chittagong in one fell swoop?

How to catch them all? With urine?

Seeing the lively discussions in the captain’s room and the strange looks given to him, Jose was timid for a moment and did not dare to speak.

“Damn it! What are you doing!” Yu Dayou shouted angrily, “Staff Officer He is still talking up there, and you guys are just holding a small meeting down there. I haven’t scolded you for a few days. Don’t you remember the military rules for holding meetings?”

The captain’s room suddenly became extremely quiet. Yu Dayou pointed at Jose and said, “Go on.”

Jose was bolder, and he said with his head held high: “Yes!”

He looked at everyone and continued, “In the 13th year of the Zhengde reign, the Portuguese exploration team attacked Chittagong, but was blocked by the defenders who laid iron chains two or three miles outside the port. The Portuguese were unable to advance or retreat, and stayed there for nearly a month, and then the rainy season arrived.

The rainy season in Chittagong was similar to that in Malacca, with rain all day and all night. The wind was strong, the waves were big, and the rain was even bigger. The Portuguese artillery and muskets were damp and could not fire, losing half of their combat effectiveness.

Later, reinforcements from the Bengal Sultanate and the Arakan Kingdom arrived one after another. Nearly a thousand oars gathered on the sea of ​​Chittagong, and finally forced the Portuguese, who were cut off from food, to retreat.

Now our Ming navy has larger and more large sailing ships. The Chittagong defenders will definitely not dare to fight. They are all mercenaries and pirates and will not fight for anyone.

They will certainly use the same tactics as before, laying down chains outside the port to stop our army, and then dragging the battle until the rainy season arrives, defeating us with heavy rain day and night, causing us to run out of food and finally retreat on our own initiative. “

When the generals heard this, they thought it made sense.

As the weaker party, it was the best strategy for the Chittagong defenders to do so.

The generals asked one after another.

“In this case, how can we wipe out the enemy in one fell swoop?”

“Fight against them?”

“Impossible! We have so many ships, so many people, and a 5,000-man Marine Corps. If we don’t eat enough, we won’t last more than three months.”

“Eat on the shore and collect food on the spot?”

“The defenders are not fools, they will definitely defend themselves.

“Send the Marine Battalion ashore and directly lay siege?”

“It’s almost the rainy season. If the rainy season in this damn place is like that in Aceh and Malacca, it will be fatal. The rain will be like a bucket of water, and the ground will be muddy. People and horses will easily get stuck in it, not to mention the artillery vehicles.

If we can’t move, where can we collect food and how can we besiege the Chittagong Castle?”

After everyone discussed for a while, Yu Dayou slammed the table and said, “Alright, you guys are arguing so much, and I haven’t heard you guys argue about anything. Chief of Staff He, please continue!”

Jose held his head high and replied, “Yes, Marshal. My suggestion is to use your own tactics against them!”

Yu Dayou was drinking tea from the cup when he spat the tea onto the ground.

Will it count?

How dare you use tricks, kid?
Last time you tried to make a feint to the east and attack in the west, I saw through it immediately, and led the entire Portuguese fleet into a ditch, where you were directly surrounded by me from both sides, attacking you from both sides.

Now that you have become an officer of the Ming Dynasty, you still refuse to change your bad habits. What kind of tricks are you coming up with?
The sound of Yu Dayou spraying water startled everyone, and everyone looked at him curiously.

“It’s okay, it’s okay.” Yu Dayou waved his hand calmly, “Jose, tell me about your strategy of turning the tables.”

“Yes, Marshal.” Jose asked another staff officer for help and hung on the wall the enlarged map of Chittagong and Chittagong Castle that the surveying team had copied based on the captured map.

“Everyone, my plan is this.”

Jose pointed at the map and talked a lot. Everyone thought that the idea might work.

Yu Dayou’s eyes lit up as well.

In the past, this kid learned the art of war, but it was a fake art of war, and he became obsessed with it. Now that he has returned to the Ming Dynasty, he has learned the true meaning of the art of war. This strategy is really good.

After Jose finished speaking, Yu Dayou asked everyone to start a discussion.

With everyone contributing their opinions, we quickly perfected the plan and made three different contingency plans.

Jose was also very surprised.

He racked his brains to come up with such a plan, intending to impress everyone, but he didn’t expect that everyone just admired him and didn’t take it seriously.

At first, Jose thought that everyone was jealous, but when he heard everyone discussing it, he realized that in everyone’s eyes, his plan was just because he was very familiar with the situation in Chittagong.

By the time I explained the situation in Chittagong clearly, the window paper was broken. The measures everyone came up with were much more complete than what I had imagined. They even came up with contingency plans in case of unexpected events when implementing the strategy. There were three different plans at that.

It feels like it’s as natural for Ming generals to use strategies on the battlefield as drinking water.

In contrast, the generals of Europe are stubborn in comparison.

Yu Dayou concluded: “Okay, Jose has come up with a great plan, and everyone has put their heads together to perfect it. Now the General Staff Office will organize it and distribute it to each team one by one to follow!”

“Follow the order!”

On the third day, the Suzaku Navy appeared on the sea sixty miles south of Chittagong. From afar, more than a dozen oars and Arab dhows were seen, some fleeing to other sea areas, and some fleeing to Chittagong along the Karnaphuli River.

It seems that the Chittagong defenders are ready for battle.

Yu Dayou shouted: “Pass the order, start the attack!”

Whoosh!

The long sound of the conch horn echoed on the sea.

(End of this chapter)