Guide to traveling through the Northern Song Dynasty

Since you have decided to surrender to the Ming prince and want to obtain a piece of land, you should try your best to show your loyalty and value.

At Lin Deyuan's suggestion, Jaya Harivarman changed his Chinese name.

"阘" is usually pronounced as dū.

But if it has something to do with Buddhism or Brahmanism, it must be chanting shé.

Therefore, he changed his surname to She and his given name was She Yehe.

Zhu Kang greatly appreciated this and praised She Yehe's loyalty many times in front of the prince of Champa.

As a result, the princes of Champa changed their names one after another.

Anyway, it doesn't cost anything to change your name. You can just ask Zhu Kang for a name. The Han name is just used to deal with the Han people. They do whatever they want in private, just to make the Ming prince happy together.

After resting for two days in Bintonglong, Zhu Kang announced his decision to conquer Chenla.

She Yehe took out a simple map and said: "If Your Highness wants to conquer Chenla, don't get entangled with them in the forest. From here, capture the towns along the way and kill them all the way to their royal city of Angkor, forcing the Chenla army to come and fight on their own." . Otherwise, they will linger in the forests and mountains until the hot rainy season comes.”

Zhu Kang pointed to the Mekong River Delta: "Aren't you going to attack here?"

She Yehe shook his head and said: "There are forests and swamps everywhere. There are only many indigenous villages and no decent towns. When we send troops, we should go around the mountains further north."

The Mekong Delta was developed step by step from the upstream.

It was probably around the end of the Yuan Dynasty and the beginning of the Ming Dynasty that towns gradually began to appear. After Zheng He's voyages to the West, trading ports developed.

The Mekong Delta's agricultural development was the result of the efforts of Vietnamese and Chinese immigrants.

First, the Nguyen Dynasty of Vietnam resettled immigrants and turned relatively easily cultivated land into farmland. Then the Qing army moved south, and the Ming Dynasty survivors fled overseas, turning swamps and mangroves that were difficult to cultivate into fertile farmland.

"How long will it take for the rainy season in Chenla to come?" Zhu Kang asked.

She Yehe said: "Three to four months. It's hot and humid, and soldiers can easily get sick."

Zhu Kang nodded: "Then we must fight quickly."

She Yehe said: "I am willing to lead the army as a vanguard and open the way!"

Zhu Kang was afraid of wasting time and said, "I will give you another thousand elites."

Of course it's not "give", but a thousand Ming troops working together as a vanguard.

She Yehe led the army and set out the next day, and Zhu Kang led the army to follow.

Two days after entering the border of Chenla, Sheyehe occupied a small town and asked Zhu Kang to send troops to station there and transfer some subsequent grain and grass there.

A merchant named Song Shunming often went to Zhenla to trade, and he always followed Zhu Kang.

When they came to camp in a small town, Song Shunming accompanied him and said:

"The powerful and wealthy people in Chenla like to capture or buy savages as slaves. The savages actually own land, know how to farm, and pay taxes. But they are not allowed to enter the city, or even near the edge of the city."

"A young and powerful savage can be sold for dozens of bolts of cloth. But outsiders cannot catch them casually and must obtain the permission of the local nobles. They call their master Batuo and their mistress Miba, which actually means parents. Savage You can marry yourself, but you are not allowed to have sex with rich people.”

"If a Han Chinese who is a guest in a wealthy family in Chenla cannot help but sleep with the maid of the family, the master will not sit with the Han Chinese. If a slave escapes, he will be tied up like a dog when he is caught..."

This maritime merchant named Song Shunming actually knew little about Zhenla.

The "savages" he calls are actually the "untouchables" of Chenla. After all, the state religion here is Brahmanism.

Moreover, there are two types of untouchables in Chenla. One is civilized and can understand the official language. Only these can be slaves. The other type is the savages from the mountain tribes who cannot even understand the official language. This kind of tribesmen have a lower status than ordinary untouchables.

Song Shunming continued:

"Many merchants from different dynasties claimed that the people of Zhenla were too dark-skinned. In fact, this statement was spread through false rumors."

"The upper-class people in Zhenla have very white skin, while the lower-class people are tanned because of hard work. There are also scholars here. I don't know what books they read. They will tie a white rope around their necks, just like the clothes of the Ming Dynasty Confucian scholars. To distinguish one’s identity.”

"When girls in Chenla are about ten years old, they have to invite monks to help them remove their virginity, which is called a 'blanket.' Every April, girls who do not have a 'blanket' must declare to the government, and monks will come to remove it. They lose their virginity. This family must prepare gifts, otherwise the monk will be very angry."

"I heard that a girl's virginity is not broken by sexual intercourse, but by monks who prick it with their fingers..."

The more Zhu Kang listened, the more outrageous he became, and asked: "Is this what you paid attention to in Zhenla?"

Song Shunming smiled awkwardly.

Zhu Kang asked again: "How are the people of Zhenla doing?"

Song Shunming said: "Zhenla, like Champa, believes in Brahmanism and divides people into three, six or nine grades. If the father is a craftsman, the son can only be a craftsman. If the father is a military household, the son can only be a craftsman. Military households. They are accustomed to it and don’t know how to resist. There are even some who have been beggars for generations. However, as more and more people believe in Buddhism, Buddhists don’t pay much attention to this.”

Zhu Kang nodded: "It seems that Buddhism is better."

Song Shunming said: "The power of Buddhism is becoming more and more powerful in Chenla. More than half of the temples built in recent years are Buddhist temples. Not only the eminent monks of the two religions often fight, but the believers of each religion also kill each other, often killing and injuring dozens or hundreds of people in the fights."

"Report!"

"Our vanguard encountered an ambush. We suffered hundreds of casualties and defeated thousands of enemy troops. We beheaded more than 400 people and captured more than 200 prisoners."

"How many casualties were there among the Ming soldiers?"

"One person was seriously injured, sixteen were slightly injured, and no one was killed."

"I understand. Give Sheyehe a precious sword and thirty bolts of fine silk, and commend him for his bravery and fearlessness!"

Zhu Kang became more and more satisfied with this She Yehe. Although he was an ambitious person, it was good as long as he could use it smoothly.

Of course, being ambushed can kill thousands of enemy troops, so those thousand Ming troops must have played a role.

At this moment, She Yehe turned back frequently while walking on the road, looking at the thousands of Ming troops who had joined forces to fight.

The fighting power is terrifying!

Of course, ambush does not mean hiding on the roadside, which will definitely be discovered by the scouts exploring the road.

Thousands of Chenla troops were hiding in the mountains and forests more than ten miles away, and only a few soldiers were sent to observe secretly. After the Ming army passed by, they circled out of the mountains and forests - it was said to be an ambush, but in fact it was more like a surprise attack.

Facing the surprise attack, Sheyehe's army hurriedly responded, and one unit even collapsed on the spot.

But the thousand Ming troops were calm and composed, instantly changing from a marching state to a fighting formation, and even countercharged to defeat the Chenla army.

This battle happened yesterday, but the more She Yehe thought about it, the more terrifying she felt.

Such a Ming army is invincible. From now on, we must be honest and obedient, and we must not offend His Highness King Yu.

With the help of a thousand Ming troops, Sheyaha fought more and more fiercely, and advanced until he was dozens of miles east of the city of Viyadapura before stopping.

This was once the capital of the Funan Kingdom, located on the banks of the Mekong River a hundred miles southeast of the later city of Phnom Penh.

…

Suryavarman II was in the city, looking at the messenger with a gloomy expression.

The messenger knelt on the ground and said: "I met King Yu of the Ming Dynasty two hundred miles north of Bintonglong. He refused to talk to me and just arrested me and imprisoned me. Seven days ago, he finally summoned me. He said a lot... A lot of bad words..."

Suryavarman II asked: "How on earth will he be willing to withdraw his troops?"

The envoy said: "First, your majesty should send an envoy to Luoyang to plead guilty, and the envoy must be a member of the royal family; second, cede the Prenogo area to the Champa Kingdom. From now on, the prince of the Ming Dynasty, King Yu, will be the king of Champa. "

Prenogo, also translated as Priango, means "forest of the kingdom".

That is, later Ho Chi Minh City and its surrounding areas.

It is full of swamps and forests, with only a few uncivilized tribal villages.

For Suryavarman II, it did not provide much tax revenue or even much military resources, so ceding it would not make him feel bad.

But this will damage his prestige!

After much thought, Suryavarman II decided to fight.

He now has an unprecedented military strength, with more than 200 war elephants alone and a mountain cavalry unit.

The armies of the affiliated kingdoms and tribes have also been assembled one after another, and the 80,000-strong army is ready for a battle.

Moreover, fighting just on the eastern outskirts of the city, the enemy cannot be allowed to break through the city of Wyattupura - this is the deputy capital of Chenla and the second largest city in Chenla.

When Zhu Kang arrived with the main force, he was faced with enemy camps stretching for more than ten miles.

The Chenla army first stayed in the stronghold, trying to delay the attack until the rainy season.

Zhu Kang asked General Han Jing to drag out the artillery, use artillery fire to level the enemy camp's defenses, and then let Annan and the Champa army attack.

Just when a camp was about to be breached, more than 30,000 Chenla troops from nearby suddenly came to rescue.

The three thousand Ming army soldiers who had been waiting for a long time immediately led the remaining Annan army to meet the enemy.

Destroy everything!

Chenla's army did not have many bows and arrows. Only officers were equipped with bows and arrows, and their long-range firepower was almost negligible.

Moreover, their armor coverage rate is not high, even the elite troops only have leather armor. Not to mention the firearms of the army, the bows and crossbows are enough for the Zhenla army to drink a pot.

Chenla's cavalry is also interesting, equipped with leather armor, machetes and curved long knives. Such cavalry troops, in the eyes of the Ming Dynasty soldiers, were just a group of horse bandits fighting with simple knives.

Due to the rugged terrain, the Ming army formed an improved version of the firearms Yuanyang Formation.

A large number of Chenla infantrymen armed with shields and javelins rushed over in a chaotic manner due to the rugged terrain and uneven formations.

Flintlock muskets and rifle bows fired first, and Chenla soldiers fell from time to time.

Before Chenla's army could enter the javelin range, the Ming army's small artillery also began to fire.

After fighting, one of Chenla's front troops collapsed, and they didn't even throw the javelins in their hands.

The Zhenla cavalry that circled the flanks were directly defeated by the Ming army's light cavalry - these Zhenla cavalry didn't even know how to ride and shoot, and they rushed forward with long curved knives like plain knives.

"War elephant, war elephant!"

Seeing that the situation was not good, Suryavarman II directly threw a hundred war elephants into the army.

These war elephant troops are similar to Annan, including archers, spearmen, etc., but the elephants are not equipped with any armor and have not been trained to deal with firearms.

As the war elephants gradually approached, they became more and more restless. They were startled by the sound of muskets and artillery.

Suddenly, a war elephant raised its trunk and howled, turned around and fled towards the rear.

The war elephants seemed to be able to communicate with each other, and other war elephants followed suit. The soldiers following the war elephants had no time to dodge and were trampled to death by the war elephants, injuring countless others.

Moreover, some war elephants also rushed towards Suryavarman II's central army formation.

"The whole army rushes to kill!"

Seeing this, Han Jing gave an order and directed the Ming and Annan troops to rush out.

Even Zhu Kang himself mounted his horse and led the cavalry to charge the enemy infantry formation.

The Zhenla army collapsed one after another, especially the vassal forces that were called in to fight. They had not even engaged the Ming army, and they began to flee when they were hundreds of steps away.

The territory of Zhenla was 10 to 20 times that of Champa and Annan, but it had been fighting back and forth with Champa for a long time, and was repeatedly beaten by Annan and fled in panic. What kind of combat effectiveness can such an army have? It can only bully weaker countries and tribes.

The combat effectiveness of the army can really be compared.

The Ming army can beat the Annan army.

The Annan army can beat the coalition of Zhenla and Champa!

The vassal armies of Zhenla can only fight when the wind is favorable, and each of them is still in the tribal era. Even if there is a country, it is a tribal federation. Once the situation is not good, those vassal leaders will flee quickly.

From the perspective of Suryavarman II, the defeat of this battle was completely unexpected.

His original plan was to use a camp to hold back the enemy, and after the enemy was stuck in a stalemate, he would lead the main force to attack from the side to rescue. But the script went wrong. The camp fortifications were removed by artillery, and there were signs of being breached not long after the battle. He had to bring the main force to kill in advance.

The following battle was even more ridiculous. The front army was confused and defeated by firearms, and the cavalry on the side was shot and defeated by bows and arrows. The war elephants thrown out to save the scene were scared away by the sound of artillery, and they also trampled several friendly troops.

Those vassal states and vassal tribal leaders were still far away from the enemy, and they all ran away!

Suryavarman II was surrounded by his personal soldiers and fled back to the city. He was dizzy as if he was stepping on the clouds. The collapse of tens of thousands of troops made him unprepared.

After slapping himself hard, Suryavarman II finally calmed down and began to organize troops to defend the city.

There were defeated soldiers and corpses everywhere outside the city.

Many defeated soldiers were chased to the moat, and they jumped into the river to escape in panic. Although they were all good at swimming, there were too many soldiers jumping into the river. Under the pushing and grabbing, a large number of soldiers who could swim drowned.

Moreover, there was no urn here, and the troops who escaped back to the city did not dare to open the gate to receive friendly troops.

Countless defeated soldiers who escaped the moat ran around the city wall but could not get in. They either risked escaping away from the city or knelt down to beg for mercy and become prisoners.

"Failed soldiers from the south rushed into the city gate!"

"The enemy also rushed in, run away!"

Suryavarman II was horrified and led the main force to open the north gate and fight to break through.

Zhu Kang was also in a mess.

Except for the 3,000 Ming troops who could still be controlled, the rest of the troops were all out of control.

This is the second largest city in Zhenla. The Annan army and the Champa army were like crazy. They did not chase the defeated enemies outside the city, but swarmed into the city to loot everywhere. Even the generals could not stop them, and there was no way to stop them, because the army had lost its organization and the messengers did not know where to pass the message.

What else could they do?

The army burned, killed and looted for seven or eight hours, and Zhu Kang finally gathered them back.

Summoning the generals of Annan and Champa, Zhu Kang said: "Hand over half of what each unit has looted!"

The generals were overjoyed. He only handed over half. His Royal Highness Prince Yu was so generous.

Of course, Zhu Kang got more than half. After he found that he could not restrain the subordinate troops, he immediately sent the Ming soldiers to occupy the military warehouses and treasuries - the money and food there were the most abundant. The various units only looted the nobles, temples, wealthy merchants and civilians.

The next day, Suryavarman II sent an envoy to ask for peace, and proposed conditions that made Zhu Kang very satisfied.

After bargaining, Zhu Kang agreed to withdraw his troops.

First, Zhenla ceded Prey Nok (Ho Chi Minh City and surrounding areas) to Champa.

Second, Zhu Kang was compensated with a certain amount of gold, silver, spices, gems, and furs. This is difficult to estimate because of price fluctuations, and it is probably worth more than 100,000 taels of silver.

Third, Zhu Kang was compensated with 2,000 oxen.

Fourth, an envoy was sent to Luoyang with gifts to apologize.

Fifth, the port tax for Ming merchants in various ports in Zhenla was reduced.

When the first batch of compensation was delivered, Zhu Kang began to withdraw his troops one after another and returned to the Champa capital of Vijaya to establish his own country.

He changed the Champa Kingdom to the Southern Yu Kingdom.

The capital Vijaya was changed to Champa.

The military and political system was changed to the cabinet system in accordance with the Ming Dynasty. However, the local administrative divisions were only at the prefecture and county levels.

The Ming civil and military officials who followed him, as well as the Annan generals who were left behind, were all awarded titles or official positions. The princes of the Champa local states were also given titles and official positions.

But these were just for show.

Most of the princes of the Champa local states still controlled local power.

The system implemented by the Han soldiers directly copied the Fubing system of the Sui and Tang Dynasties!

There is plenty of land here, which can be distributed to Han soldiers. If there is not enough land, we can go to expand the territory.

If those princes of Champa do not obey the Enfeoffment Order in the future, Zhu Kang can also lead troops to suppress them, and then obtain land to distribute to Han soldiers.