Elephants are tall and mighty. When they run, the earth shakes. When they are covered in armor, they give people a shocking feeling of being indestructible.
Especially for war horses, elephants have a stronger deterrent effect, after all, it is a suppression at the biological level.
But elephants also have their own weaknesses and are easily startled by loud noises or fireworks. Once startled, elephants will run wildly without distinguishing friend from foe.
Therefore, after the deduction of martial arts paintings and the drills of frontline generals, the Ming army had a way to deal with the Burmese elephant soldiers.
One is to use artillery bombardment. The lightness and high firing rate of the falconet are suitable for both jungle warfare and attacking war elephants. The other is to use heavy muskets. Even if they cannot kill the war elephants with one shot, they can still cause great damage to them.
Even the chieftain coalition that assisted the Ming army in the war had restrictions on the number of war elephants they could carry, in order to avoid the Ming army's guns and artillery scaring the elephants and causing chaos.
During the Thai-Myanmar War, war elephants were deployed in large numbers and were the primary force in the conflict. However, faced with the sharp and powerful effects of firearms, the threat posed by war elephants was actually less pronounced. The Burmese were perhaps unaware of this, or perhaps it was too late to adapt.
In the judgment of the Ming army generals, if it were not for the climate reasons, only 20,000 to 30,000 well-equipped Ming troops would be enough to crush the Burmese army and reach the city of Ava.
Historically, this is a likely victory.
However, the emperor insisted on caution and ordered the four provinces of Sichuan, Yunnan, Guangxi and Guizhou to mobilize troops and have the local chieftains join the battle. He also agreed with the Ministry of War to launch an attack after the frost descends, when the miasma will disappear.
But although he agreed, the emperor also asked the Ministry of War and Wang Sanshan to make full preparations.
A large amount of anti-mosquito, anti-heat and anti-malaria supplies arrived in Yunnan Province, and prevention knowledge was popularized among the soldiers. Even if the Burmese learned of the intelligence and took the initiative to attack, the Ming army not only had the power to fight back, but could also launch an attack in advance.
Young officers such as Xu Sanshao have mostly received martial arts training and grew up in the southwest rebellion war. They are mid- to high-level generals with pioneering spirit and practical combat experience.
General, Young Master Xu was even on the verge of becoming a senior general. He was the chief general of one of the eight defense passes of Tengchong.
In response to the combat staff's report, Young Master Xu nodded slightly and said, "The matchlock rifles are quite powerful, but their rate of fire is slow. They are no match for our Ming Dynasty flintlock rifles, and are certainly no match for our artillery."
After a pause, he continued, "Besides, the Burmese cannot manufacture muskets, and ammunition is scarce. They simply cannot afford to engage in prolonged warfare. Even large-scale battles with high attrition costs can only be fought for a few battles."
The combat staff officer smiled and said, "The Burmese's fighting power is so great that even our army cannot withstand it. In fact, there is no need to recruit the chieftains' coalition forces to help us fight."
Young Master Xu glanced at the war planner but didn't elaborate. He had figured out the court's intentions: to exploit the chieftains' enthusiasm for expanding their territories and thus weaken their power, making it easier to control them.
Moreover, facilitating control is only the first step. The ultimate goal is to transform the natives into commoners and bring them completely under the jurisdiction of the Ming Dynasty court.
At this moment, a soldier climbed up the city wall and reported to Master Xu that someone claiming to be from Nanjing Xugongfu came to pay a visit.
Young Master Xu frowned, knowing that he had been sent by his father again. He had come to persuade him during the rebellion in the southwest, but he still applied for permission and came to Yunnan Province to continue his military career.
"Arrange for the visitor to stay first, I will go to see him later." Young Master Xu waved his hand, looking a little impatient.
Duke Xu persuaded him to return, not only out of concern but also because he had heard the reason why the court wanted to change the hereditary system of nobility. However, Young Master Xu was already determined to rely on his military achievements and naturally did not want to listen to his father's arrangements.
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