The emperor wanted to avoid tropical and subtropical jungle guerrilla warfare as much as possible. Although the Burmese might not know or master this tactic, the emperor did not want to take any chances.
Defeating the main force of the Burmese and occupying the "granary" of Ava, this large piece of land would be enough to be digested for several years. The emperor did not want to destroy Myanmar all at once.
While swallowing up all the territory might seem satisfying, it carries significant risks and could lead to indigestion. The goal of the Burmese invasion was profit, not continuous investment, and certainly not a costly, unprofitable undertaking.
The emperor certainly knew that his strategic goals were different from those of the front-line generals. One was to know when to stop and gain the greatest benefit at the lowest cost; the other was eager to achieve success, and the bigger the battle, the greater the results, the better.
Therefore, the emperor gave instructions to Wang Sanshan, asking him to supervise the implementation.
Although Wang Sanshan also wanted to be glorious before retiring, he still took the overall situation into consideration and just played by the rules, not daring to go too far against the imperial order.
After all, the Ming army was already fully equipped with firearms and was extremely dependent on ammunition and supplies. The imperial court had already incurred a significant expenditure in the campaign against Burma, and they were just waiting for the battle to be over as quickly as possible to recoup their investment!
Fortunately, the Tengchong area has volcanic geology, with steam springs, hot springs, boiling springs, and hot springs such as the sulfur pond and the big boiling pot, which solved the sulfur problem of gunpowder.
Furthermore, the Ming army's campaign against Burma required war to sustain itself, primarily through looting or obtaining food and supplies from the various Burmese chieftains. If the army relied entirely on transportation from the rear, it would conservatively take two to three years to store up enough food.
Even so, the endless tropical jungles and crisscrossing river valleys posed great difficulties for the Ming army's movement and transportation.
Therefore, Wang Sanshan personally took charge of Tengchong and directed the supply of materials, which also relieved the army of worries. After all, he was the governor of a province, and his words were influential. And the war against Burma was also related to his honor and disgrace.
The generals were reassured. Besides Wang Sanshan's full support, the emperor was the most crucial. The invasion of Burma was the emperor's will, and it was also the first battle in the Ming Empire's renewed pursuit of external expansion.
Before this, whether it was the pacification of Liao and the suppression of slavery, or the suppression of rebellion in the southwest, they should all be considered internal wars of the Ming Empire.
The crusade against Burma is the real foreign policy. The emperor is enthusiastic about this. Who would dare to pour cold water on it and suffer a disastrous defeat in the first battle?
Moreover, for military commanders and soldiers, only by fighting in battles could they achieve military merit, promotion, and wealth. In other words, war was the fastest path to advancement for soldiers.
If this first battle was won, and won beautifully, wouldn't the emperor's enthusiasm be even higher? Wouldn't the soldiers have more opportunities to achieve great things?
Besides, with the current weapons and equipment of the Ming army, compared with the Burmese, as long as they are not mediocre or stupid, and the disparity in military strength is not particularly large, it seems that there is no possibility of defeating them?
Wang Sanshan discussed the plan of attacking Burma with the generals again, but did not adjourn the meeting immediately. Hesitation and hesitation appeared on his faces.
After a long pause, Wang Sanshan finally made up his mind and said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty intends to distribute 40% of the spoils to the soldiers as an incentive and reward. I believe that generous rewards will only bring about brave men, but I am also worried that this policy will cause the chieftains who have surrendered to the Burmese to suffer heavy losses, or even turn them against the king and aid the Burmese in the war."
The incentive was indeed good, but Wang Sanshan's concerns were also justified. The wanton looting for the sake of more money would force the swing chieftains to oppose the Ming army, which would have a negative impact on the overall situation of the Burmese invasion.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
