Chapter 224: On the Battlefield

Now, to turn back...

The 11th year of Hongwu, the 22nd day of the 10th month.

The sea of Siam Bay was calm and windless.

Twenty steamships formed two columns in line, sailing steadily toward the northwest.

Black plumes of smoke stood out against the blue sky, startling flocks of seabirds.

Zhu Yong stood at the flagship's bow, telescope in hand, watching the faint outline of the coastline ahead.

"Your Highness, in another hour we can dock; Siam's royal city is about fifty li from the coast, with a great river leading straight into the city. If we take boats up the river, we can save a lot of marching."

Wang Baobao walked over, holding a sea chart, and said.

Zhu Yong nodded, set down the telescope, and asked, "Is the river wide?"

"Wide. Zhou Dahai said the narrowest point of this river is still twenty Zhang, enough for medium ships, but the banks may have ambushes; the Siamese aren't fools and surely know we're coming via the Water Route."

Wang Baobao spoke.

Chang Yuchun stepped out of the cabin, chewing on a piece of Dry Rations.

He leaned over to glance at the map, grinned, and said, "What fear the ambush? A line of Flintlock Guns will sweep through and knock them all down."

Zhu Yong glanced at him and said, "Chang Shu, we cannot charge head‑on this time."

"Why?" Chang Yuchun was startled.

"Siam differs from Champa; Champa is a small kingdom with only twenty to thirty thousand troops, scattered across several locations. Siam has many soldiers, at least fifty thousand, and its capital is built by the great river, easy to defend and hard to attack. If we charge head‑on, even if we win, casualties would be heavy," Zhu Yong said, pointing at the map.

"Your Highness makes sense, but we must still be cautious; although the Siamese have never seen Flintlock Guns, they are numerous, and if they truly surround us, five hundred men are still dangerous." Wang Baobao mused.

Zhu Yong thought for a moment, then said to Wang Baobao, "Elder Brother, how many cannons do we have on our ships?"

"Elder Brother, how many cannons do we have on our ships?"

"The flagship has two guns fore and aft, each other ship has one gun fore and aft, totaling forty‑two guns; ammunition is ample, we can fire for a day without issue," Wang Baobao recited.

"Very well. After we land, Chang Shu will lead two thousand men in a frontal formation, showing an intent to besiege. Elder Brother will take fifteen hundred men to flank and cut off the Siamese retreat northward.

I will take five hundred men in small boats up the river to scout," Zhu Yong said, nodding.

Chang Yuchun frowned, "Your Highness, you only bring five hundred men? That's too risky!"

"It's not risky; five hundred men in small boats move quickly, the target is small, the Siamese will think our main force is at the front and ignore the small river.

Moreover, even if discovered, five hundred men with Flintlock Guns can take down a thousand or two thousand without problem," Zhu Yong said, shaking his head.

"Don't worry, I know the situation; if we truly can't win, I can still retreat," Zhu Yong said, patting the hammer standing on the ground.

The two exchanged glances and laughed.

An hour later, the fleet arrived at the North Bank of Siam Bay.

In the distance, a city could be faintly seen.

The city walls were much higher than those of Champa, about Three Zhang, built of grayish earth bricks, appearing quite sturdy.

The river surface was wide and the current gentle.

Many vessels were moored by the riverbank, fishing boats and warships alike, mostly medium and small.

The Siamese had clearly spotted the Ming fleet.

Horn Sound rose and fell on the city walls, countless silhouettes running about.

Outside the city, people gathered, bearing spears and shields, clamoring chaotically toward the sea.

Chang Yuchun led two thousand men to land first.

They quickly formed ranks on the beach, Flintlock Guns in hand, the barrels flashing a faint blue in the sunlight.

The Siamese rushed halfway in, and upon seeing this strange army, their steps slowed.

They had never seen such enemies, no spear formations, no archers, only rows of men holding iron tubes, dressed in uniform black battle robes, a shiny iron plate on the chest, iron helmets on their heads, standing perfectly orderly, motionless.

A bold Siamese commander let out a wild shout, brandishing his sword, and charged forward with a few hundred men.

Chang Yuchun grinned, raised his hand.

Chang Yuchun grinned, raising his hand.

"Bang bang bang..."

A line of guns fired, and the dozens of Siamese at the front fell to the ground in response.

The steps behind them stalled; before they could react, the second line of guns fired.

The footsteps behind hesitated, and before they could react, the guns in the second row fired again.

After three volleys, over a hundred who surged forward were all on the ground; the survivors wailed and rolled.

The remaining Siamese finally became frightened and fled.

Chang Yuchun laughed heartily, waving his hand for the troops to advance.

On the other side, Wang Baobao led fifteen hundred men along the coast westward, soon disappearing into the coconut groves.

Zhu Yong then led five hundred men onto the small boats prepared earlier, rowing north along the riverbank.

These small boats were brought from Champa, each holding twenty men, shallow‑draft, fast, ideal for inland river operations.

Zhu Yong sat on the foremost boat, flanked by twenty Imperial Troops, all veterans who had fought Nüzhen and Goryeo with him.

The fleet drifted slowly along the river channel.

Both banks were dense with coconut and banana groves, occasional simple bamboo huts could be seen.

Some local villagers stood by the river, curiously watching these never‑before‑seen boats and people.

Zhu Yong raised his telescope, observing ahead.

After the river twisted a few bends, the Siam Royal City finally unfolded completely before his eyes.

The city walls were indeed very high, at least Three Zhang, built of earth bricks, coated outside with a layer of white ash.

The city wall is indeed very high, at least Three Zhang, built of mud bricks, and the outside is coated with a layer of white ash.

On the city wall stood a dense crowd of soldiers, holding spears and bows, and some people carried large cauldrons, presumably to boil oil.

The city gate faced the river, a huge wooden door wrapped in iron sheets, looking quite sturdy.

Dozens of Warships were moored by the river, far larger than fishing boats, some equipped with catapults.

Zhu Yong squinted and carefully observed those Warships.

The catapults were made of wood, very crude, able to hurl only a few dozen jin of Stone at most.

These weapons were adequate against ordinary wooden ships, but against steamships and Flintlock Guns they were hopeless.

"Prince, Siamese Warships are coming from ahead!" an Imperial Troop pointed forward.

Zhu Yong looked and indeed saw five or six Warships sailing toward this side.

Many soldiers stood on the ships, brandishing spears, knives and swords, muttering and shouting something.

"Stop the ships, form ranks," Zhu Yong ordered.

Twenty‑five small boats quickly gathered and lined up in a single file on the river.

The soldiers raised their Flintlock Guns, aiming at the approaching Warships.

Three Hundred Steps, Two Hundred Steps, One Hundred Steps…

"Fire!"

"Bang bang bang..."

The gunfire echoed across the river channel.

People on the opposite Warships fell to the ground one after another.

Some plunged into the river, others clung to the gunwales and screamed.

After one round of fire, the Warship at the front was left with no one standing on it.

The few Warships behind panicked and began to turn around.

"Give chase, don't let them escape!" Zhu Yong ordered.

The small fleet rowed swiftly, pursuing the fleeing Warships.

After several more volleys, five Warships were completely crippled; the people aboard were either dead or leapt into the river to escape.

Zhu Yong had the soldiers inspect the spoils, while he continued to watch the direction of the city wall.

The city wall had already become a chaotic mess.

Those Siamese soldiers clearly had never seen such weapons; they could kill from over a hundred steps away, far more effective than bows and arrows.

Some knelt on the ground to kowtow, some fled toward the base of the wall, and others shot Arrows at the river surface, but the Arrows couldn't even reach.

"Prince, should we charge straight in?" an Imperial Troop asked excitedly.

Zhu Yong shook his head and said, "No hurry, first return to rendezvous with Chang Shu and the others."

He could see that the Siamese were already terrified by the Flintlock Guns, but the royal city still had thirty thousand defenders; a direct assault would require far more than five hundred men.

The small fleet turned around and went downstream.

When they returned to the seashore, Chang Yuchun had already advanced to a point two li from the city wall.

Two thousand men formed three ranks, their Flintlock Guns pointed toward the city wall.

At least five thousand Siamese soldiers gathered outside the city gate, but none dared to charge forward.

Chang Yuchun saw Zhu Yong return, spurred his horse forward and said, "Prince, how's it going?"

"The city holds thirty thousand defenders, the gate is solid, a direct assault would cause heavy casualties; once Elder Brother is in position, we'll act," Zhu Yong said.

Chang Yuchun nodded and asked, "What about those Warships?"

"We sank a few, the rest fled, but it's fine; their broken ships can't catch up with our steamships," Zhu Yong said.