Chapter 5332: Fight without bloodshed

Chapter 5332: Fight without bloodshed

Funan once occupied most of the Indochina Peninsula. It was a powerful and militarily strong nation that nearly annexed Linyi and unified the peninsula several times. However, in its later years, its power declined and internal strife became frequent, and it was eventually destroyed by its vassal state, Zhenla.

Chenla inherited the territory and system of Funan, but it could not escape the tradition of internal strife. King Jayavarman dominated Thachhu and occupied the north, while his minister "Khulach," who was also a direct descendant of the royal family, established his own independent regime in Brahma and refused to obey the king's orders, thus dividing Chenla into two. Jayavarman struggled to maintain his rule over Thachhu and had no energy left to conquer the south and suppress the rebellious ministers, while "Khulach," who was content with his corner of the country, was also unable to march north and unify the whole country.

Borneo was built on the northwest side of Tonsa Lihu. Because it had a navy that "overlooked the peninsula", its defenses were mostly on land. It focused on building many fortresses and stationing troops on the north side of the capital to guard against the army of the king of Tachuk.

Tonle Sap Lake is the largest freshwater lake in the Indochina Peninsula and a natural reservoir for the Mekong River.

During the rainy season each year, the river swells and flows from the Mekong River into Tonle Sap Lake, reducing flooding in the Mekong River basin. During the dry season, the river flows back into the Mekong River, maintaining the waterway and supplying irrigation for farmland along the Mekong River.

The navy of Shuizhenla can launch an offensive from Tonle Salihu at any time, moving along the Mekong River to intimidate downstream areas such as Chigun...

The presence of the Tonsarlihu allowed Shuizhenla to deploy more troops north of the capital, but now it has become a fatal weakness.

Yang Zhou led his navy to besiege Zhigun, a major coastal town in the southern part of Linyi Kingdom. Countless Tang warships filled the docks, their bows aimed at the docks and firing cannons in unison. A barrage of bombardment destroyed all the defensive facilities on the docks. Then, heavily armored infantry landed and advanced from south to north, completely defeating the defending army with irresistible force. Without bloodshed, they occupied this coastal city, which had fertile farmland and could be used to threaten a vast area upstream along the river.

After a brief rest here, hundreds and thousands of small ships sailed upstream along the Mekong River, advancing from the riverbed to the vast and misty Dong Salihu.

News of the Tang army's attack on Chigun quickly reached Borobudur. Realizing that the Tang army might advance up the Mekong River and head straight for the capital, the governor of Shuizhenla, Fuli, quickly reorganized the navy and prepared for battle. Not long ago, Shuizhenla general Ishali, who had suffered a defeat at Wuwenling and barely escaped with his life, was given a critical mission and led the navy to deploy on Dongsalihu.

May 11th, the sixth year of Renhe.

Hundreds of large and small warships were arrayed at the river mouth, the lake waters rippled, a gentle breeze blew, banners fluttered, and a murderous aura filled the air.

Izali was full of confidence and vowed to avenge the humiliation of the complete annihilation of his army in Wuwenling.

On a rare sunny day, with the sun shining brightly and the lake water sparkling, a naval force sailed upstream along the Mekong River and plunged into the suddenly wide-open Tonle Salihu at the river mouth.

With masts like a forest and white sails like clouds, countless Tang warships surged onto the lake. Upon seeing the well-organized and ready-to-fight Shuizhenla fleet before them, they did not hesitate for a moment. To the sound of war drums, they increased their speed to the limit and charged forward.

Izari stared wide-eyed in disbelief as he watched the enemy warships on the lake surge like arrows released from a bow, or like a raging torrent of horses charging forward.

I knew the Tang army's warships were fast, but I never imagined they would be this fast!
Despite his surprise, he remained calm. Although Shui Zhenla's warships were smaller, they were more numerous and more agile. He only needed to block the enemy ships' charge and then surround and intercept them. What use was speed?
The advantage is mine!

Izari drew his scimitar and shouted, "Prepare to meet the enemy!"

"Block the enemy ships' charge, and never retreat!"

"As long as we can hold off the enemy, we will surely win this battle!"

His troops were in high spirits, their strange cries echoing through the sky. Their savage and valiant spirit shook the mountains and seas, surging wildly on the lake.

Seeing that the morale of the troops was good, Izali felt much more at ease.

Fighting on home ground, they could reinforce their troops at any time; their warships, though small, had an absolute numerical advantage; the Tang army's three-story ships were virtually invincible, but the water was too deep for them to enter Dongsalihu by river... All these factors were favorable to the Zhenla army, and the Ishakli couldn't figure out how they could lose.

Tang warships charged forward like wild horses when faced with the well-organized, heavily armed, and densely packed Zhenla navy.

The soldiers quickly tore off the cannon covers, stuffed in powder packs and bullets, and lit the fuses.

Boom boom!
The muffled thunderous roar of cannons echoed across the lake, and plumes of black smoke rose up, only to be torn apart by the breeze and spread across the entire lake. Countless projectiles flew out of the barrels, tracing parabolic arcs as they rained down on the enemy's fleet.

Due to outdated aiming technology and the severe hull vibrations caused by the firing of cannons from small boats, the cannons on the warships, though seemingly imposing and devastating, actually had a low hit rate. However, the enemy warships were arrayed in a dense formation, densely packed together in an attempt to block the Tang army's charge, resulting in almost every shot hitting its mark when it fell.

Click, click, click!
The sounds of wooden planks snapping and cracking rang out one after another. The bullets, propelled by gunpowder and their own weight, easily smashed through the hulls of the Jinla army's ships. Unlucky soldiers hit by the bullets suffered broken bones and torn tendons, dying with screams of agony.

The Tang warships charged forward while firing cannons. After three rounds of cannon fire, the Zhenla warships were blown over and capsized, amidst cries of agony. Then they plunged headlong into the enemy ranks.

Tang soldiers first stood on the ship's side and fired crossbows, then approached and bombarded the enemy with muskets at close range, and finally engaged in boarding combat with shields in one hand and swords in the other.

After three rounds of attacks by cannons, crossbows, and muskets, the Zhenla army was already in disarray, suffering heavy casualties. More than half of the warships had their hulls smashed and were leaking water, or their important parts were smashed and the entire ship began to sink.

Then, the tall, well-equipped Tang soldiers engaged in close-quarters boarding combat, and the Zhenla soldiers were no match for them. They were slaughtered with screams of pain, and many soldiers, seeing that they were no match for the enemy, simply jumped into the lake.

Almost instantly, severed limbs and pieces of broken boat wood floated on the lake, and the lake water was stained red with blood.

Ishakli's eyes were bloodshot with rage. His right leg was wounded by a musket pellet. He swung his sword and severed the shaft of an arrow lodged in his left shoulder. Then, brandishing his scimitar, he stood at the bow of the ship, stomped his foot, and shouted, "Start the ship! Start the ship! Charge forward! Slaughter all the Tang people!"

However, after jumping around for a while, he found that the boat beneath his feet was not moving at all. He turned around in astonishment and realized that apart from the dead lying scattered all over the boat, he was the only living person left...

Looking up again, the sunlight shone on the lake, creating dark red ripples. Warships capsized and sank, and countless soldiers cried and struggled in the water. The broken bodies of their comrades floated around them. The agile figures of Tang soldiers jumped from one ship to another, holding a shield in one hand and a sword in the other, killing any living person they encountered.

What a tragic and devastating apocalyptic scene this is!

Ishakli was shaken, and suddenly his whole body trembled. Several arrows pierced him like a porcupine, his legs gave way, and he fell from the bow of the boat into the cold lake.

The massacre didn't stop until nightfall. Shuizhenla's proud navy was completely wiped out by the Tang army's overwhelming attack. Of the more than 10,000 soldiers, nearly 6,000 perished in the lake, except for 2,000 who escaped back to Boluoti and 2,000 who were captured by the Tang army.

According to captured Tang soldiers, many three-foot-long fish, which usually lurked deep in the lake, emerged from the water, their tails swirling with water as they opened their mouths to devour the corpses of the soldiers in the waxen husks…

……

Borneo was built northwest of Tonsa Lihu. Since its founding, its navy had dominated the central and southern regions and dominated Linyi. Therefore, the entire city was not only built along the lake, but the east gate was also built as a water gate so that ships could enter and exit quickly.

Now that all the naval forces have been wiped out and annihilated by the Tang army on the lake, the city is in chaos, panic, and trembling. The once most fortified water gate has now become a huge loophole. After the Tang army has rested and regrouped by dawn tomorrow, they can sail their warships directly into the east gate and break into the city.

However, before dawn, at midnight, Tang warships arrived at the waters outside the East Gate. Right below the city gate, they used arrows to shoot a letter of surrender onto the city wall. The soldiers picked it up and rushed it to the palace, where it was handed over to "Guluozhi" to help him leave.

Fu Li sat inside the palace, carefully reading through the Tang army's "surrender letter," and then looked up at the sky and sighed.

Who could have imagined that the Tang navy was so powerful that the more than 10,000 naval troops that the Shuizhenla Kingdom relied on were completely wiped out in less than a day?
Especially the thunderous cannon fire during the great battle between the two armies on the lake, which sounded like divine might descending from the heavens, made the de facto king of Shuizhenla, "Guluozhi" Fuli, and a group of civil and military officials turn ashen-faced and tremble with fear.

Everyone knows that the Tang Dynasty is powerful, but no one expected it to be this powerful!
Fu Li's hands, holding the "surrender letter," trembled slightly, his eyes wide with bewilderment: "Why has the might of the Great Tang descended upon Zhenla? Zhenla has never shown the slightest disrespect to the Great Tang!"

To maintain the legitimacy of Funan?

To avenge the vassal state of Funan?

What a big joke!

The Funan Kingdom has been destroyed for several decades, back when it was still the Sui Dynasty!
If your Tang Dynasty avenged Funan, then who will avenge the Sui Dynasty?
The civil and military officials beneath the throne looked at each other, none of them able to provide an answer.

Shuizhenla split off from the Zhenla Kingdom. Relying on the dense network of waterways and the powerful navy in the south, they were able to rival the king. Over the years, they had enjoyed wealth and glory, and only thought of living in peace in a corner of the country. Who would have thought that instead of the punishment that should have come from King Jayavarman, they would be greeted by the divine army of the Tang Dynasty.

Fu Li sighed: "Whether to fight or surrender, please feel free to offer your advice."

"It's not that we can't fight, but the Tang army is formidable. If we lose, the consequences are unimaginable, and it might even endanger the entire city's inhabitants."

"We would rather die for you? But it's easy for us to die in battle, but we're pushing you down a path of no return!"

"For your sake, we are willing to endure humiliation and hardship!"

……

Throughout the entire nation, no one dared to fight.

Fu Li, utterly despondent, said, "Open the city gates and surrender."