The Ming army, which was chasing the north in the east, had sporadic battles everywhere; To the west, in the Mekong River Basin, it's a different story.

A rain had just fallen on the vast green plains, and it soon stopped, and the air was fresh and clear, and a pleasant cool breeze was sent in the wind. On both sides of the Mekong River, the idyllic scenery is tranquil and pristine.

Only the large warships with huge hard sails hanging on the river are out of place in the situation, and obviously do not belong here, but are uninvited guests.

Occasionally, farmers wearing straw hats stopped to watch from the riverbank in the distance. A child riding on the back of a buffalo, with a branch in his hand and his face facing the river, must have been very curious.

Many warships were moving down the Mekong River, looking at the direction of the current, and in front of them was the mouth of the sea. They are heading back in the direction of the sea.

Hu Jun, a naval commander in armor, stood on the ship's floor, his red cloak fluttering forward. His eyes were on the river, and he watched as a small boat approached the side of the treasure ship.

After a while, Meng Ji, the eunuch of the Semu people, boarded the deck and walked up to the ship's building. Hu Jun immediately greeted him politely, and then handed over a piece of paper in his hand, which was stamped with a red seal.

Meng Ji first looked at the seal carefully for a while, then looked at the content very casually, and said: "This is Chen Dashuai's words, and it must also be the meaning of Dashuai." ”

Hu Jun's expression suddenly became more relaxed, and he sighed: "It's a pity, we ran so far in the boat, and we didn't get anything, and we withdrew too quickly." Ben will think that if he waits and waits for the defeated army of the Zhenla people to come, he should have a reward. ”

Meng Ji responded, noncommittal.

Hu Jun said again: "Just withdraw the army immediately, but Chen Dashuai specifically mentioned that what is the use of letting us go to Phnom Penh City with a few cannons and leave?" ”

Meng Ji, a man of color eyes, pondered for a while, spoke a pure official dialect, and said: "Our family heard that Angkor City has been threatened by the Siamese army all year round, and the royal family of Chenla is running Phnom Penh City as a back road. On the river, the officers and soldiers fired a few cannons at Phnom Penh City, just to alert the Zhenla royal family; If they break the law, they will face even more serious consequences. ”

"Makes sense." Hu Jun said suddenly, and then couldn't help but praise, "Gonggong Meng is very knowledgeable. ”

Meng Ji smiled silently.

During the Yongle period, this eunuch was beside Emperor Taizong as a master of ceremonies and a young eunuch. If it weren't for the turmoil in the imperial city a few years ago, his status might have been more than that. However, one of the eunuchs in power during the Taizong period, he can still live until now, and I am afraid that he will not be able to do it without a little knowledge.

The two were silent for a while, and Meng Ji said again: "Because of this, the military order to withdraw the army is reasonable." From our family's point of view, Chen Dashuai wants to leave Zhenla Country as soon as possible. And Wang Gonggong (Wang Jinghong) didn't approve of this idea, but he didn't oppose it either. ”

Hu Jun thought for a while and said, "So the letter was not written by the prince, but by Chen Dashuai." ”

People with some positions in the army know that the meaning of the eunuch Wang Jinghong is the highest decision of the navy on this trip.

Meng Ji nodded approvingly.

The navy's western route was detached and sailed until noon, and there were more and more people on both sides of the strait; The scene of Phnom Penh, the second largest city in the kingdom of Chenla, has gradually appeared on the west bank of the river. The military commander on the treasure ship shouted below deck: "Starboard charge!" ”

The treasure boat continued to move slowly, and it was a long time before it reached the river outside Phnom Penh. A temple tower near the city wall in the city attracted the attention of the Ming army generals, and the tower seemed to be a floating temple; However, its shape is completely different from that of the Ming Dynasty, with a rounded silhouette and a pointed top.

One of the walls of Phnom Penh was close to the riverbank, but at least a mile away from the Ming warships; And that Futu is a little farther away. After the general gave the order to bombard the Futu, the people stood on the side of the ship with great interest, looking at the buildings in the distance.

The deafening sound of artillery rang out, first a few times, and then the Futu was alive. The distance was too far away, several shots missed, and the iron ball didn't know where it flew.

However, the battle shocked the defenders of Phnom Penh. As soon as the sound of the cannons stopped, the sound of gongs and drums and the noisy voices of people up and down the city wall spread to a mile away. The walls of the city were full of people and swords.

The Ming army fired several more shots, but still did not hit. The two treasure ships that came over also opened fire one after another, and the ship's guns shelled intermittently, and the sound of artillery continued for a while.

At this moment, gray dust appeared on the shoulders of the Buddha in the distance, and many bricks and stones fell in the air. After a while, the top began to tilt and gradually collapsed downward.

There was a burst of cheers on the deck of the treasure ship. After entering the Mekong River, the soldiers who did not run in vain seemed to have achieved some kind of spiritual goal at this time, and the atmosphere was a little higher.

After hitting the Futu, all the ships stopped firing. The warships of the Ming army, swaggering past under the noses of the defenders, continued to sail southeast.

The eunuch Meng Ji turned his head to Hu Jun and said, "The emperor once said that he wanted to let the southern countries feel the presence of the Ming Dynasty officials and troops in the local area. At this moment, the people of Zhenla should know that the official army has come. ”

…… At this time, Wang Jinghong, Admiral Chen Xuan and others had already left Tongnaihe. They had just arrived at Saigon Bay.

The exit of Sai Kung Bay is in the southwest, and it is surrounded by land on several other sides. To the southeast of the bay, there is a slender peninsula (Vung Tau) that makes the bay even more enclosed.

At present, Chen Xuan and a group of people have gone ashore, just at the northwest tip of the peninsula.

Chen Xuan walked around, and the first sentence he said said: "I can't find fault with this place." ”

Pointing to the sea, he said, "Saigon Bay is sandwiched between small bays, and there is a mountain range in the west, so it is difficult for a storm on the sea to reach here. The most rare thing is that the water in this sea area is still very deep, and if the dock is repaired in the future, maybe the big ship can go straight to the dock. ”

Wang Jinghong smiled and said: "Chen Dashuai is really amazing, such a big place around Saigon Bay, I was stunned that you found this place." This place is very desolate and remote, and there are few people around. ”

Chen Xuan said: "Sometimes we are selective, maybe we can't pick a good place; I woke up when I saw it all of a sudden, and the best part was right in front of me. The mountains over there are not only to keep out the wind; The most important thing is that there is fresh water as a result. Most of the rivers by the sea are salty because of the backflow of seawater, and with such a large mountain range and a lot of rain here, there must be streams. The stream on the mountain flows down, and if we build a few more ponds to store water, there will be no shortage of water. ”

Chen Xuan watched for a while, then pointed to the east and said: "There is a large area of flat land on the east side, and if you pick up and pick up, you may be able to grow rice; Let's go back and see if there is a place for farming. The slave soldiers who were caught, drove them to contribute to the construction of the fortress, and then they could be allowed to become commoners and go to the east to farm.

He said happily: "The Ming Dynasty's 'envoy city' in this place, Tunpu was chosen here, what does the prince think?" ”

Wang Jinghong said: "It sounds good, so it depends on Chen Dashuai's intentions." ”

The eunuch Wang Jinghong pondered for a moment, and his expression became serious: "However, if Chen Dashuai wants to withdraw from the Zhenla Kingdom immediately and mobilize the main force to attack the Manchurian Kingdom, is there any risk?" He asked, and then reviewed the civil and military affairs on the left and right, intending to let everyone have ideas.

Deputy envoy Hou Xian and Wang Jinghong were out of breath, of course they were very cooperative at this time, Hou Xian immediately said: "It's November now, and it's less than three months since the end of the cool season. There are still thousands of miles of sea routes from Saigon Bay to Manchuria; Before the end of the cool season, whether you can go to the place is still a matter of words. If we set off in a hurry, the affairs of the Zhenla country have not yet been watered, and if we go to the Manchurian country and cannot fight, won't we be in a hurry for a while? ”

Before Hou Xian's words landed, Chen Xuan immediately took over and said: "Even in the hot season, you can send troops, but the weather is not so comfortable." ”

"I'm afraid of an epidemic." Hou Xian muttered quietly.

Chen Xuan has nothing to say, this kind of thing can't be seen or touched, who can completely pack the ticket?

The two eunuchs glanced at each other, and Hou Xian said again: "Although the Zhenla army has been defeated, there are still a lot of men and horses left, what if it takes time to regather and come to attack our stronghold here?" ”

Chen Xuan said: "The official army defenders can rely on the fortress and wait for reinforcements. ”

Hou Xian asked, "What if the fortress hasn't been repaired yet, and they come again?" If our main force wants to defeat Manchurian, we have to consider the food and straw of the defenders, and there are not many troops left. ”

Chen Xuan said: "The ditch wall fortifications were built quite completely within ten days. ”

Wang Jinghong spoke again: "What Chen Dashuai said is not unreasonable. Our family is just cautious, worried that the handsome man is eager to make meritorious contributions, and he is impatient and negligent. ”

Chen Xuan took a breath and said in a soothing tone: "This general's proposition is like this, and he has not wavered in the slightest. But then again, Ben Jiang could only suggest, and he had to say the last word from the prince. ”

After hearing this, Wang Jinghong also said meaningfully: "In ordinary times, our family will try to obey Chen Dashuai's wishes. It's about warfare, and most of all. ”

Chen Xuan didn't say much about this, so he said something else: "Let's write a good news, and send a Monchong warship back first, so that the saint can be happy as soon as possible." He paused and said, "When the ship arrives at Songtaiwei in Annan, it will be able to dock." The good news changed to return to Beijing by land, from Songtaiwei to the border of the Ming Dynasty, there are perfect post roads and official shops. Hurry up, much faster than by sea. ”

Wang Jinghong immediately nodded: "What Chen Dashuai said is extremely true. ”

Beginning on the afternoon of 27 October, within two days, the navy and army of the allied forces were defeated one after another, and the officers and troops won a complete victory like lightning speed. As soon as he thought of this, the emotions that had calmed down a little just now rekindled again, and he couldn't help but cheer up.

"In fact, the Zhenla people have long been frightened, and they dare not be enemies of the Ming Dynasty officials and soldiers anymore." Chen Xuan spoke again, striving for a final resolution.