Chapter 23: The Ambush Site

  The sunset is gorgeous, the intense red light has dyed the western sky red, like a vast fire. The clouds and mist are floating, like a river of hot blood flowing with steam.

  Zhu Yongxing felt the terrain suddenly change, rising steeply, and after walking a short distance, he could see the road at the foot of the slope. The team stopped, having arrived at their destination, allowing Zhu Yongxing to carefully observe the terrain.

  The road is not wide, with mountain slopes and dense forests on both sides. The forest is deep and the grass is thick, with vines stretching across the treeless areas. The mountain grass grows up to two meters high, and some sections are covered with low-lying thorny bushes. This is the road that the barbarians take to get to Meng Guan, and it is also a strategic location for ambushing the reinforcements heading to Meng Guan.

  It's indeed suitable for an ambush. Zhu Yongxing nodded to himself, looking forward to the battle that might erupt here. Because this idea was his, it would be the first fight he would witness after arriving in this time and space.

  To show respect for him, the Mangshan Miao did not keep Zhu Yujing in the dark when they were making plans for the whole rebellion, and even asked for his opinion. Perhaps they thought this was just a superficial courtesy, but Zhu Yujing really racked his brains over it, turning over examples of warfare in his memory, and made some strange and novel suggestions.

  When the proposal was adopted, it unexpectedly won more admiration and respect for Zhu Yongxing. A prominent member of the Ming royal family, a very strategic person, one who had sworn an oath to the gods, and one who would marry a woman from the Mangshan Ke clan as his wife. These factors combined, for the various village heads and village elders who were about to stake the fate of their entire tribe, were undoubtedly a great comfort, and also a source of firm confidence.

  Even the cold and unfeeling female leader of the village, who was as frosty as ice, had a change in attitude towards Zhu Yongxing, approving and supporting his plan.

  Because of his talent, he is more valued. Zhu Yongxing knows the benefits of showing off now, and later to let the warriors of Mengshan Kezu listen to his command, he must prove that he has this ability, this capital.

  As Zhu Yongxing gained a deeper understanding of the Mangshan Miao, he felt that having such an armed force at his disposal would be of great help to his anti-Qing cause, and would be extremely beneficial to his battles in the mountainous and forested regions of Yunnan and Guangxi. This was because the robust Mangshan Miao, who had grown up in harsh environments, were all excellent mountain and forest warriors, with skills based on their adaptation to the forests, and using weapons that could exert maximum power in the forests.

  Crossbow, landmine, bamboo stake trap, dart shooter... If Zhu Yongxing had a choice, he would never want to fight the Mangshan Miao people in the jungle. Especially that dart shooter, which left a deeper impression on Zhu Yongxing. It was a weapon he had heard of but never seen before, and it had even caused trouble for the Americans during the Vietnam War.

  On a hard wooden frame, dozens of sharpened poisonous darts were arranged in rows. Once triggered, the darts would shoot out simultaneously. Although the killing range did not exceed thirty meters, it was almost equivalent to the effect of a submachine gun sweep, extremely lethal in close combat.

  Of course, as a forbidden weapon for the Burmese to possess, there are not many of these dart-throwers in stock. But with time, the number of this weapon will increase and its role will become more and more important. Anyway, Zhu Yongxing has a high evaluation of this "ancient submachine gun", thinking that it will show its skills in places like Yunnan and Guangxi where there are many forests.

  It's still necessary to look at the actual combat effect! Zhu Yongxing gently stroked his hunting rifle, hot weapons will eventually eliminate cold weapons, but it can't be done overnight. For now, he could only temporarily put aside some impetuous ideas and adapt to and try to improve the current mode of warfare based on the actual situation.

  Mengzhu jumped over lightly and handed the fruit in her hand to Zhu Yongxing, interrupting his train of thought.

  "And it's a pity you can't attend the Flower Festival." Zhu Yongxing smiled slightly, took over the unknown fruit, and said with a hint of teasing.

  Mengzhu is good at singing and dancing, and she can also travel long distances and climb well, which proves that she is not a weak woman. Although Zhu Yongxing has never seen her martial arts skills, he does not doubt that if she were in a critical moment, Mengzhu would also have the ability to pick up a weapon and go into battle.

  "This year, however, is not regrettable." Mengzhu gently shook her head and sat obediently beside Zhu Yongxing, pointing to the south and saying: "The battle in the village should be over by now, I wonder if the attack on Manmotu will go smoothly?"

  "There shouldn't be a problem." Zhu Yongxing was uncertain in his heart, but his tone was very firm. "The Burmese army at the Mawtu fortress is only over a thousand men, scattered and unprepared, victory is almost certain. As for the stockade, there's even less to worry about, the most the Burmese vassal officials will bring is a hundred or so soldiers as guards, it won't be difficult to eliminate them completely. As long as we can fight quickly and decisively, relying on the fortress' reaction and mobilization abilities, there shouldn't be too much risk."

  Throughout the entire Burmese kingdom, there were not only over a thousand Miao soldiers, but also more than three thousand people scattered in various places. However, since the incident occurred suddenly, the Burmese government could not mobilize all of its forces. Moreover, although Burma was a centralized state, it had many ethnic groups and local tribes still held significant power. In particular, the leaders of the Shan States in the north had long-standing contradictions with the central government, and the chieftains, as leaders of local factions, would not fully cooperate with the government even if they did not directly clash with them.

  "For the future, there is always a price to pay." Mengzhu sighed softly and grasped Zhu Yongxing's hand, saying in a gentle voice: "Your Highness is wise and powerful, our tribe will entrust its fate entirely to Your Highness' hands, and it will not be regretted."

  "It's definitely not going to be a regret." Zhu Yongxing covered Mengzhu's small hand with his other hand, and although it was a bit hot, the sweaty feeling felt wonderful. The girl's originally delicate skin looked even more tender.

  "Your Highness." Mengzhu gazed at Zhu Yongxing, her beautiful eyes sparkling. "This Qing army is quite formidable, isn't it? Even the Emperor of the Great Ming has to take refuge in Burma. Can you emerge victorious if you go to war in Yunnan?"

  Zhu Yongxing felt the worry in Mengzhu's heart, as well as her genuine concern, and couldn't help but let out a long sigh, holding Rong Yu tighter.

  If it were just a change of attire, if it were just a change of dynasty, perhaps everyone would think so, but Zhu Yongxing's thoughts flew over thousands of mountains and rivers, spanning decades.

  The Qing dynasty's rule led China to re-tread the old path, again transitioning from a slave society (or even primitive society) to a feudal society, resulting in over 200 years of backwardness, which gave rise to the humiliating modern history that Chinese people cannot bear to read, and brought about the calamity of being surrounded by wolves, almost leading to the downfall of the country and the extinction of its people.

  The rulers of the Qing Dynasty vigorously promoted literary inquisitions, not only causing the achievements of ideological liberation at the end of the Ming Dynasty to be completely lost, but also making the entire Han Chinese thought enslaved and stupidified to an extremely thorough extent. By the end of the Qing Dynasty, they were all numb and ruthless, with rigid thinking and foolish men and women.

  The sea ban, closed country, burning books and stealing history, closing thoughts, ignorance and arrogance, cruel and ruthless...

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