During the decisive battle with the Jianlu in Liaodong, the Ming army's firepower had already set a record, but at that time it was mainly heavy mortars, with few rockets and even fewer multi-barrel launchers.

Now, the application of multiple rocket launchers has doubled the number and density of rocket launches, which will once again break the record.

In order to achieve maximum casualties, the landing site was chosen on a sandbar extending into the river on the opposite bank. The width was not very large and could only accommodate a battle formation of two to three thousand people.

But when the Burmese army launches a frenzied counterattack, all the artillery fire on the other side of the river will be poured on the enemy with an unprecedented density.

Heavy mortars and rockets were all projectiles and had no effect on the Ming army's landing formation. On both sides of the landing site, there would be ships equipped with falconets to provide crossfire cover for the Ming army's landing troops.

This arrangement was very vicious. It fully utilized the Ming army's firepower advantage and used a small number of landing troops to attract the Burmese army to attack, inflicting heavy casualties on them and thus undermining their military morale.

Though ruthless, it was an upright battle, devoid of any maneuvers like crossing rivers or feinting to distract the enemy. Victory depended entirely on strength, the least risky method of victory.

The Burmese had no choice but to fight to the death. Moreover, in a fair fight, they had no room for strategy and could only fight to the death.

Within a day, more than 20,000 local soldiers arrived at the front line, which put the Burmese army at a disadvantage in terms of total troop numbers, with only the Ava River to rely on.

The Burmese army was equipped with a certain number of muskets. They had witnessed the power of muskets when fighting against Portuguese mercenaries, and they either captured them or bought them.

However, these muskets were all old-fashioned matchlocks, and their performance was completely incomparable to that of the Ming army. As for artillery, there were even fewer, and in the eyes of the Ming army, they were all outdated and old stuff.

More importantly, the Burmese do not have the ability to produce firearms themselves. Even ammunition is purchased from abroad.

Therefore, in terms of overall strength, the Burmese were doomed to fail at the beginning of the war, and their subsequent resistance only prolonged the time.

The Na, Pu, Sha, and Dao clans, along with other local officials, all arrived at the battlefield, both to show support and goodwill to the Ming army and to observe and learn. For the imperial court, this was a deterrent to the local officials.

After the local officer led the local militia to the Ava River, they immediately tied up rafts and bamboo rafts according to orders and set up camps on the wide river bank, which also played a certain restraining role.

After several local officers reported to the central army camp, they returned to their respective camps together, and there was inevitable discussion.

"Tomorrow's general attack will definitely succeed." The Yuanjiang Na clan, with its long history and immense strength, couldn't help but lament the Ming army's prowess. "The Burmese's desperate struggle will only lead to more casualties and the consumption of ammunition."

Sha Yuan nodded repeatedly and said, "If it weren't for the limited transportation of ammunition and supplies, it wouldn't be difficult for the Ming army to conquer Central and Lower Burma."

Dao Hejiang laughed heartily and said, "Isn't this a good thing? If all of Burma is conquered by the Ming army, what will we do in the future?"

The local officials seemed to be thinking about something, and those who reacted quickly smiled and agreed, Sha Yuan being one of them.

"Brother Dao, what you said makes sense," Sha Yuan said. "The Burmese suffered heavy losses in this campaign. In the future, plundering Burma's territory and weakening it will all depend on our joint efforts. As for the Ming army, it's unlikely they'll make another large-scale move, merely assisting from the sidelines."

Na stroked his beard and said, "If the local soldiers also have the weapons and equipment of the Ming army, the joint forces attacking the Burmese should have a good chance of victory."

"Thinking carefully about what Lord Wang said today, there's quite a lot of meaning!" Pu narrowed his eyes and said thoughtfully, "He seemed to be saying that to the west, outside of Myanmar, there's a country called India, which is very weak."

Dao Hejiang smiled and said, "India, I think it's the country of Tianzhu. Lord Wang just said that. He meant that there is plenty of land in the world, and if you have the ability, just grab it. The Ming army will provide appropriate assistance."

"I've heard of Tianzhu. Isn't it full of monks?" Na said suddenly, "That's the place where Tang Monk went to seek Buddhist scriptures, right?"

"No matter where it is, if we have the chance in the future, we'll join forces and attack it." Sha Yuan said, "If the local soldiers can be equipped with muskets, we won't need too much help from the Ming army. With just one or two thousand artillerymen, victory is almost certain."

"It's just money. Paying the Ming army, that's what it means." Pu chuckled and said, "I guess I'm right, everyone."

Everyone laughed. They were not fools. They all understood the meaning of Wang Sanshan's words and understood the court's future thinking and practices.

At this time, Wang Sanshan was sitting in the central military tent, looking at a large map and studying the future arrangements.

From a long-term perspective, or to implement the emperor's long-term strategy, Mandalay and Ava must be in hand, that is, they must be occupied stably for a long time.

From Mandalay - Shwepo - Damu - Imphal - Kohima... This is the shortest route from Myanmar to India.

However, there are two major obstacles in Myanmar to entering India: one is the Chindwin River, which is one thousand meters wide; the other is the Mingjing Mountains, which are 2,500 feet above sea level and cover an area of ​​50 kilometers.

Even though these two obstacles are not easy to overcome, it is still much more realistic and safer than walking along the Himalayan ridge.

Moreover, the emperor's need to enter the South Asian subcontinent or even reach the Indian Ocean was not a short-term and urgent one.

In other words, the emperor had no complaints even though it took more than ten years, or even decades, to open up the road to India.

It’s just a long-term strategy. Wang Sanshan patted the map lightly and turned his gaze back to the city of Ava.

……………….

It was a bright morning. The sunrise, morning glow and clear sky made the new day full of ritual.

The sounds of trumpets and drums rang out in the Ming army camp, flags were waving, and the army was marching out. The decisive battle against Burma had begun.

The Burmese army on the other side of the river also moved nervously and prepared for countermeasures. Their only goal was to thwart the Ming army's attempt to cross the river and defend the last barrier of Ava City.

According to the stories told by the Burmese soldiers and generals who escaped, the Burmese army also knew that the Ming army had artillery and rockets with a very long range, and they did not dare to line up too close to the river bank to fight.

But they were too far away and could not join the battle in time to counterattack the Ming army crossing the river, which made Bian Yajian very embarrassed.

In the end, Bian Ya Jian could only adopt a sparse deployment of troops in the front and dense deployment in the back to ensure the timely deployment of troops.

The so-called "sparse in front and dense in the back" can be understood literally. To put it simply, it means that there are fewer troops in the front and more troops in the back.

Since the Ming army had limited ships, the first batch of troops that crossed would certainly not be too large. The Burmese army could then deploy troops in front to counterattack the Ming army that landed.

If the counterattack was successful, that would be the best. If the counterattack failed, the Burmese army would quickly deploy heavy troops that had arrived later and use their superior numbers to drive the Ming army back into the river.

The advantage of this is that it can avoid the long-range firepower of the Ming army as much as possible, and the Burmese army's tactics can also be regarded as a wave counterattack. Wave after wave, not giving the landing Ming army time to breathe and stabilize.