Chương 605: Elephant Charge!

His expression suddenly turned serious, and his tone became solemn:

"However, Fan Man is extremely ambitious. During his reign, he conquered more than ten countries and expanded his territory by five or six thousand miles, even bringing the northern part of the Malay Peninsula under his control. He is no incompetent ruler. We cannot be careless when we attack Funan. Even a lion must use its full strength to hunt a rabbit."

Yue Fei moved his finger to the Irrawaddy River basin in central Myanmar and drew a circle on the map:

"Next is Pyu. It is a loose alliance of several city-states, with the city-state of Srishatara as the leader, and none of them submit to the others. The total population is about 500, 000 to 600, 000, and the military strength is 20, 000 to 30, 000, mainly infantry and elephant cavalry. Their weapons and equipment are even worse than Funan."

"A loose alliance?" Xu Huang raised an eyebrow, his eyes lighting up.

"So they're just a disorganized mess? They attack one, and the rest just stand by and watch?"

"That's right," Yue Fei said.

"The various city-states of Pyu are governed by their own systems, and the alliance leader can't mobilize all the troops of the other city-states or command them. Their agriculture and handicrafts are quite good; they can make bronze and gold and silver wares and have trade relations with our southwestern prefectures and counties."

However, their weapons were still bronze swords and wooden shields; even iron weapons were rare. They were even more backward than Funan. In front of our muskets, they were no different from paper, and we could hit them every time.

He then pointed to the east and north, marking a section on the map:

"Further east is the Shan Kingdom. It's a tribal confederation without a proper king, with a total population of two to three hundred thousand and an army of only about ten thousand. Its economy is based on agriculture and animal husbandry, and it is famous for its elephants and rhinoceroses."

Over a hundred years ago, they even sent envoys to Luoyang to pay tribute to our emperor, received investiture, and even a golden seal. But now they no longer acknowledge that; they've become too powerful.

"Such a minor character isn't worth the commander's trouble at all," Luo Cheng stepped forward, clasped his hands in a fist salute, his face radiating confidence.

"This humble general is willing to lead three thousand light cavalry, and within ten days, I will surely destroy the Shan Kingdom and present its king's head to you!"

Yue Fei glanced at him, nodded slightly, and his eyes showed a hint of approval:

"General Luo Cheng is brave and I naturally trust him. However, remember not to underestimate the enemy. Although Shan State is weak, its terrain is complex, with many mountains and forests filled with miasma, where even mosquitoes can kill you. I will give you five thousand light cavalry, along with one hundred tiger-squat cannons. You must fight a quick battle and not delay the main force's attack on Funan. Go as soon as possible and return as soon as possible."

"This subordinate obeys!" Luo Cheng was overjoyed and retreated, his face unable to hide his excitement.

Yue Fei continued, his whip tracing patterns on the map:

"The remaining areas are even less worth mentioning. The dozens of scattered city-states established by the Meng people are nominally subordinate to Funan, but in reality, they govern themselves independently and do not even have a unified army."

The Mongols and Khmer-speaking tribes didn't even have a proper government and still lived a primitive, slash-and-burn lifestyle.

Small kingdoms on the Malay Peninsula, such as Langkasu and Chitu, relied on maritime trade for their livelihood. Their combined military strength was less than ten thousand, and they would scatter easily in a war.

Yu Jin said in a deep voice, frowning, "Then how should we deal with these small states? Fighting them one by one is too time-consuming."

"It's very simple." Yue Fei slammed his whip down on the map, his voice icy.

"Those who surrender will be spared death and incorporated into the auxiliary army, serving as our guides and laborers. Those who resist will be massacred! Not a single one will be spared! I want the entire Indochina Peninsula to know that those who offend the might of the Great Han, no matter how far away, will be punished! Let them tremble at the mere mention of the word 'Han'!"

...

Three days later, Luo Cheng led 5, 000 light cavalry, carrying 100 tiger-squatting cannons, and set off for Shan State.

The cavalry galloped along the official road, kicking up a trail of dust.

As Yue Fei had predicted, the King of Shan Kingdom did not take the Han army's invasion seriously at all.

He felt that the Han army was exhausted from their long journey and unfamiliar with the terrain. He believed that with his 10, 000 troops and hundreds of war elephants, he could surely annihilate the Han army and perhaps even seize some spoils of war.

So he personally led all his troops and arrayed them on the plains outside the capital, waiting for the Han army to come and die.

He even wore his most magnificent armor, wanting to show off on the battlefield.

As Luo Cheng's cavalry appeared on the horizon, the King of Shan, standing atop the tallest war elephant, laughed heartily, bending over with mirth.

"Is this all the Han soldiers you have? They're not even enough for my elephants to trample! One stomp each of them, crush them into meat patties!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the Han army stopped.

The soldiers quickly unloaded the tiger-squat cannons from their horses and loaded them with gunpowder and solid iron bullets.

The whole process was orderly and took less than fifteen minutes; the movements were as fast as magic.

The Shan soldiers were dumbfounded. They had never seen such strange iron pipes before and didn't know what the Han soldiers were doing. Some even thought they were for boiling water.

The King of Shan also frowned, a vague unease creeping into his heart, but he still steeled himself and gave the order:

"Elephant charge! Crush the Han soldiers! Kill!"

Hundreds of war elephants roared deafeningly, their voices shaking the heavens and the earth, and with heavy steps, they charged towards the Han army like a moving wall of flesh.

The earth trembled beneath the elephant's hooves, like an earthquake.

The Shan infantry followed behind the elephant herd, brandishing their swords and spears, shouting as they charged, creating a rather spectacular scene.

Luo Cheng, mounted on his white horse, a cold smile playing on his lips, his eyes filled with contempt: "Release!"

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

One hundred tiger-squatting cannons fired simultaneously, solid iron bullets whistling as they flew toward the elephant herd.

"Hiss—Boom!!!"

One hundred sharp explosions were compressed into a short, rhythmic roar, like tearing fabric.

One hundred black, solid iron balls, freed from the cannon's muzzle, spun and whistled, slicing across the battlefield at a speed imperceptible to the naked eye.

The air was violently pushed aside by them, emitting a low and eerie wail, carrying a pure will to die, as they rushed towards the earth-like shadow of the charging war elephant herd.

The impact happened almost immediately.

It wasn't the dull thud of an arrow piercing flesh, nor the clanging sound of a knife or axe chopping.

That was like a heavy hammer striking a drum, an iron pestle pounding mud, the most muffled explosion when a melon ripens and falls from its stem.

A bullet pierced diagonally into the shoulder blade of the leading elephant.

Thick, wrinkled skin, tough muscles, and even bones as thick as a bowl were easily pierced by the spinning iron ball, like soaked toilet paper.

A fist-sized hole exploded in front, and a fountain of bone fragments and flesh the size of a bowl shot out from behind.

The colossal elephant's mountain-like body suddenly tilted to the side, as if struck by an invisible giant axe. Its front hooves buckled, its trunk rose, and it let out a mournful cry that seemed inhuman, a mixture of excruciating pain and terror.

The tower on its back and its rider were flung away by the violent force, tracing a desperate arc in the air before crashing to the ground and dying instantly.

Another iron bullet kissed the side of a young bull elephant's head, which was held high.

The enormous head had collapsed into a large chunk, like a shattered pottery jar.

The white and red liquid, mixed with fragments of ivory, sprayed backward in a radial pattern.

The massive elephant crashed to the ground sideways, raising a cloud of dust.

More iron balls were creating a horrific, penetrating tragedy among the elephants.

A bullet pierced the chest of the first elephant, its momentum undiminished, carrying with it remnants of flesh and bone, before embedding itself deeply into the abdomen of another elephant behind it.