The Reversal of the Qing Dynasty

Chapter 434: The Allied Forces March on Siam “Brigadier General, what is it?” Apparently intrigued, Chen Ming couldn’t help but ask. “A machine gun…” Huang Min didn’t keep them in suspense for long; after all, they would eventually be handed this weapon. “What’s a machine gun? Is it really that powerful?” Driven by curiosity, Chen Ming pressed further. “You’re such a chatterbox. Luo Hao, you explain it to him.” Huang Min smiled slightly and turned to Luo Hao, the company commander of the guard unit standing beside him. Hearing Huang Min’s order, Luo Hao immediately turned to Chen Ming and said, “Commander Chen, you should know that the rifles our soldiers use now require reloading after every shot.” “Yes, that’s right. Isn’t that normal?” Chen Ming asked, still puzzled. “Yes, but the difference with a machine gun is that once it’s loaded, it can fire hundreds of rounds continuously,” Luo Hao explained. “Good heavens, is that true?” Chen Ming asked, looking at Luo Hao in disbelief. Upon seeing the affirmative nod, Chen Ming couldn’t help but get excited. After all, with a single-shot loading mechanism, even the fastest soldier could only fire five or six rounds in a minute. Plus, the high-frequency reloading made a soldier’s arms ache terribly. Most of the time required for a single firing cycle is wasted on reloading; the actual firing takes only an instant. If we could eliminate the reloading time, a single soldier would be as effective as a dozen. “That’s incredible! Who came up with this? My goodness, this is just too amazing,” Chen Ming marveled. “Indeed…” All the generals present began to discuss it animatedly, their eyes gleaming with desire for such a device. “This, of course, is a divine weapon crafted for our current Emperor,” Huang Min said after bowing respectfully toward the north. “Then, Brigade Commander, is such a divine weapon…” Chen Ming asked, his eyes sparkling with excitement. “Come on… come on… come on… You little rascal, I know exactly what you’re scheming. I didn’t bring many this time, but once this battle is over, I’ll give you three.” Huang Min said to Chen Ming, both exasperated and amused. “No way, Brigade Commander, only three…” As soon as he heard he’d only get three, Chen Ming immediately protested. “What’s the matter? You think three is too few? I only brought ten in total this time, and these were specially allocated to us by the Division Commander. If it weren’t for our Corps Commander fighting it out with the commanders of several other corps to secure the first batch of machine guns, you wouldn’t even have these three. If you think that’s too few, then don’t take them at all,” Huang Min said, amused by Chen Ming’s complaint. “No, no, I didn’t say it was too few, Brigade Commander. I just wish we had a few more…” Chen Ming quickly replied with a forced smile. “Alright, this time my guard company will bring these ten machine guns to deploy with you. Make sure to wipe out every Siamese who dares to attack.” Huang Min replied with authority. “Yes…” “Rat-a-tat-tat…” On the Yi Army’s positions, ten machine guns formed a powerful fire network, whining incessantly. Abu looked out and saw the Siamese troops attacking the mountain falling in droves, their blood mixing with the damp rain to stain the earth red. “What’s happening? What’s happening…” Abu muttered the words over and over. Faced with this incomprehensible reality, the young man—who had once been brimming with confidence—felt a profound sense of helplessness. “It seems I’ll never be able to avenge my brother in this lifetime.” A wave of bitter sorrow washed over him, and Abu had no choice but to accept the cruelty of reality. “Retreat! Fall back quickly…” At that moment, under the Yi Army’s overwhelming firepower, the Siamese forces—having suffered heavy casualties—withdrew from the battlefield in complete disarray. Even the Siamese military’s rear guard had given up on urging the fleeing soldiers to fight on. On the battlefield, the Yi Army once again unleashed a wave of slaughter. “ Hahaha… So these scumbags with a combat effectiveness rating of less than five actually dared to attack our main camp? They clearly don’t know the meaning of the word ‘death.’ ” With victory in sight, the Yì Army’s generals could not help but burst into laughter. “Issue the order: have the armies of Annam, Champa, and Cambodia pursue the fleeing enemy forces.” “Yes…” “Charge…” The Annamite, Champa, and Cambodian forces, ordered by the Yi Army to pursue, were mercilessly slaughtering the fleeing Siamese troops, kicking them while they were down. With their morale completely shattered by the Yi Army’s firepower, the Siamese troops were unable to mount any meaningful resistance. Any Siamese soldier caught on the battlefield was either killed or forced to kneel and surrender. After the battle, of the more than 10,000 Siamese soldiers, only about 3,000 managed to escape unharmed. However, as these 3,000 shaken Siamese soldiers prepared to flee back to their camp, they did not expect that their camp had already been breached by a large force of Annamese troops, and even their commander, the Third Prince Wenlin, had been taken alive. Yes, while the Siamese army mobilized a large force to launch a surprise attack on the Yi army, the Yi army was also directing the Annamite forces to launch a surprise attack against the Siamese army. At first, the Siamese troops, holed up in their camp and on the defensive, paid little heed to the Annamite forces launching their surprise attack. It wasn’t until the battle began that the Siamese troops realized just how fiercely the Annamite forces fought—a complete reversal of their previous cowardly demeanor. Taking advantage of the Siamese soldiers’ defeat and retreat, the Annamites swiftly breached the Siamese camp and captured their commander, Van Lin. Consequently, the more than 3,000 Siamese soldiers who had fled the battlefield had no choice but to seek refuge once again at the camp of Malok, who had been reassigned to the rear to oversee logistics. Upon learning that the Third Prince, Wenlin, had been captured, Malok immediately led the remaining force of over 20,000 troops from Quang Nam Province back to the vassal state of Champasak. Without hesitation, he sent an urgent warning to the capital, Ayutthaya, while also taking the initiative to send an envoy to the Yi army to explore the possibility of peace. In the sixth month of the second year of Tianze (the 23rd year of the Qianlong era) The Yi Dynasty, together with the armies of Annam, Champa, and Cambodia, attacked Siam and captured its two vassal states, Champasak and Vientiane. To avoid national annihilation, Champasak and Vientiane had no choice but to cede territory and pay reparations to the Yi coalition forces, while simultaneously mobilizing their entire national military to join the coalition in attacking Siam. With the Yi coalition forces attacking, panic swept across the entire kingdom of Siam. “Someone… someone!” At that moment, Wu Shilun, who was lying on his sickbed, cried out weakly. Since early June, Wu Shilun had suddenly fallen gravely ill. “Your Majesty, your servant is here. What are your orders?” The eunuch by his side hurried over to ask. “Go, tell Mahā to summon the ministers,” Wushi Lun ordered. “Yes, Your Majesty. I’ll go at once.” The eunuch dared not delay and hurriedly withdrew. Ever since news arrived of the empire’s defeat at the hands of the Yi army, and with Wushilun’s severe illness, his temper had grown increasingly foul. He would punish or execute the eunuchs around him for the slightest offense, so naturally, this eunuch feared Wushilun.