When Xiao Ruxun launched his attack on Mawlamian, there were less than three thousand Burmese soldiers in Mawlamian. It didn't take much effort. After a few rounds of bombardment, the soldiers collapsed on their own. Xiao Ruxun only used a small unit to take down Mawlamian and beheaded more than two thousand people.
After taking down Mawlamian, Xiao Ruxun headed north. Along the way, he didn't meet any organized resistance. Many military fortresses showed signs of people living in them, but there was no one inside. It was so messy that it seemed like the Ming Army had escaped. This made things easier for Xiao Ruxun. He didn't even need to mobilize troops to start a fight. He could just push forward to Bogu.
Burma was still too weak and had a weak foundation. Although they had been the hegemon of this area for decades, if one day they were completely destroyed by the traditional strong country, Daming, they would immediately weaken to an unbelievable level. The fear and uneasiness in their hearts would be completely exposed, and they wouldn't even have the courage to resist. It was obviously a good military fortress. Ricci, who was by Xiao Ruxun's side, said that it was a very European-style fortress. If it was used properly, it would definitely cause trouble for the Ming Army. However, there was no one guarding it.
Not only was there no one guarding it, but the weapons inside were also not taken away. Along the way north, there were seventeen or eighteen fortresses. Xiao Ruxun seized more than thirty European-style cannons, more than seven hundred matchlock guns, and countless swords and bows. There were even some undamaged food and fish in the pond. He didn't know what the Burmese soldiers treated this place as.
All in all, Xiao Ruxun had gained a lot. Ricci had always been sighing about the cowardice and ignorance of the Burmese. Even if they had a fortress to resist, it wouldn't have allowed the Ming Army to advance so quickly.
"It's not that they are cowardice and ignorance. It's that I Daming is too strong! So strong that they don't even dare to resist! "
Xiao Ruxun smirked and looked at Ricci with an unusual gaze. The latter felt a little uncomfortable under Xiao Ruxun's gaze. He lowered his head and stopped talking.
After this battle, not to mention the Japanese and the Spanish, Ricci and the two hundred Portuguese in the army also became more well-behaved. At the beginning, when they taught the Ming Army the scientific method of using artillery and flintlocks, they still didn't tell the Ming Army the reason and only let them do it. Then, when they personally witnessed the overwhelming barbaric artillery coverage and firearms assault of the Ming Army, they instantly lost their spirit.
During their free time during the march, Xiao Ruxun would also call Ricci over to take a look at the Latin book "Origina Geometry". However, Xiao Ruxun couldn't understand Latin. Ricci could understand it. After learning Chinese, he also knew how to translate it. However, when it came to the definitions of some professional terms, he couldn't do anything. This was because there were some concepts in this book that didn't exist in ancient mathematics in China.
An Italian missionary who didn't know much about Chinese couldn't come up with some terms that didn't exist. Therefore, he had to find a scholar-official who was knowledgeable and had some understanding of mathematics to be able to do it.
However, at the moment, Ricci seemed to have discovered that this bloodthirsty general was very interested in mathematics.
"Three corners. In my opinion, this is a triangle. This is an angle, which can be translated as a triangle. And this is … an equilateral triangle. What does this word mean?"
Xiao Ruxun pointed to a Latin word and asked Matteo Ricci. Matteo Ricci looked at it and revealed a slightly embarrassed expression. "It can be roughly described as, for example, when shooting with a flintlock, if you raise the tip of the gun a little higher, you can hit a further place. That's about the distance from here to here."
Ricci used a branch to draw a corner on the ground and then drew an arc between the two lines. "This is the meaning of this word."
Xiao Ruxun immediately understood that this word meant an angle.
"I understand. It can be translated as an angle."
Xiao Ruxun now understood how many problems Xu Guangqi and Ricci encountered when translating this book. Some words that didn't exist had to be created by Xu Guangqi. The basic mathematical concepts of points, lines, and planes were all created by Xu Guangqi at that time. It could be said that Xu Guangqi was the earliest creator of all the mathematics textbooks in China. Without Xu Guangqi to give these Latin meanings to Chinese, we really couldn't study the natural sciences of the West.
However, Xiao Ruxun didn't have such troubles. He didn't understand Latin, but he could instantly understand what it meant. As long as Ricci roughly described it and drew a picture, he would know what mathematical term Ricci was talking about.
"That is to say, after crossing two points, you can only draw a straight line. This is what Euclid means, right?"
Xiao Ruxun pointed at two points on the ground and then drew a straight line.
"Yes! That's what it means! The general is really a genius in mathematics! "
It was not easy for him to find a person in China who shared a common language and was very interested in mathematics.
"This is the first time I, Daming, have heard of these things. In the past, there were many mathematicians in China. The circle you mentioned, our ancestors were able to use the circle cutting technique to calculate pi a long time ago. Using a point as the center of the circle and a line as the radius, they could make a circle. It's really interesting, but our ancestors didn't pay attention to it. Even if they knew, they just knew and didn't try to understand it."
Xiao Ruxun threw away the wooden stick and stood up.
"Why? This is all very useful knowledge. "
Xiao Ruxun sighed and said, "For our ancestors, knowledge that could allow them to survive was the most useful knowledge. How to farm, how to get rid of pests, how to increase food production, these were the things that our ancestors were most concerned about. You can't find people in the world who are better at farming than the Chinese. Other than that, they didn't care much about other things. After all, if you don't have enough to eat, you can't do anything. If you want to study mathematics, you have to eat first!"
"China is very rich, how can there be people who don't have enough to eat?"
Ricci could tell that China was only in the cities. He had not experienced the real situation of the farmers in the countryside.
"You will understand in the future. Mathematics can only be studied by people who can fill their stomachs. Fortunately, there is no shortage of people in China who can fill their stomachs. Therefore, we can still research something. Keep this book well. After we finish cleaning up here, I will take some time to translate this book so that our scholar-officials can understand your mathematics."
Ricci smiled and said, "I understand, General."
"Let's go!"
Xiao Ruxun got on his horse and went back to the military camp.
Unlike Xiao Ruxun's confident and leisurely march, the Burmese were not so leisurely. Even in the heart of their rule, there was an aura of despair everywhere. This aura of despair shrouded the hearts of every Burmese, causing them to be at a loss as to what to do, causing them to look around blankly, causing them to tremble in fear.
The young prince, Min Qide, who had been invincible for more than ten years, had been defeated. His army of one hundred thousand had been wiped out. The Ming Army was marching towards Bogu, and Bogu did not have enough power to defend itself.
The news bombarded the sensitive and fragile nerves of the Burmese people one after another. In the beginning, they mocked and disbelieved the news, but later, groups of defeated soldiers with broken arms and legs flooded into the Burmese people, bringing panic to the people. The whole thing only lasted for a few days. Nothing was more telling than the defeated soldiers on the battlefield, and nothing was more telling than the Burmese villages around Bogu being robbed and attacked by unknown forces.
According to the defeated soldiers, the army had been defeated miserably. Prince Min Qide had died in battle, and a large part of the army had been lost. Many were captured, and only a few managed to escape. Along the way, none of the forts had been defended. All of them had abandoned the forts and fled back to Bogu, because this was the only place that gave them a sense of security.
But in the end, no one knew how long this sense of security could last. As more and more defeated soldiers and refugees flooded into the surrounding villages, Bogu began to become overcrowded. The people finally completely believed that the army had been defeated. The army that had dominated the world for decades had been completely defeated. It came without warning, and everyone was at a loss. They were used to the victory of the army and the sharing of the spoils of war. They were used to victory and glory.
Now, they had to accept their defeat. This was too cruel.
They all turned their eyes to the tallest, largest, and most luxurious building in the city. There was their king for decades, the king who had brought them countless glory and victories. They urgently needed their king's instructions, and they urgently needed their king's guarantee of their safety.
But now, their king could no longer respond to their expectations. Mang Yingli had been unconscious for two days and two nights. Two days ago, when he learned that Min Qide had died in battle and the army had been defeated, he had fainted and hadn't woken up until now. The palace was in a mess. The civil and military officials were like ants on a hot pan. They had no idea what to do — they were used to Mang Yingli's powerful rule. They were his tamed assistants, and without him, they were not used to it.
The 100,000 main force had been defeated, and only a few had escaped back. Now, there were only 20,000 soldiers that could be used. Outside Bogu, there was an unknown number of Ming Army and Siam Army advancing. The country was in danger. "My king, how could you fall? Have you ever thought about our desperation? "
Maybe he had heard such a desperate cry. That night, Mang Yingli slowly woke up. As soon as he opened his eyes, he saw the civil and military officials staring at him and asking, "My king, what should we do?
What should we do? You are asking me what to do? How can I know what to do? I am also very desperate! "
The qualified son that he had cultivated for more than 10 years had died in battle. The 100,000 elite troops had been defeated. The foundation of the country had been destroyed. The remaining troops had also lost the will to fight. Once the Ming Army came and attacked Bogu with the momentum of victory, he had no chance of winning at all …
Until this moment, he realized that his country and his government were advancing with a drive. All along, he had never thought about what to do if they were defeated in battle. He and his father had never been defeated in battle for many years. He had a kind of blind confidence. He believed that he could definitely win and would not fail. No matter how dangerous the situation was, he would not fail.
He used the wartime system to maintain his government and rule. However, he did not expect that once he was defeated, his military power would not be able to maintain the wartime rule, and his regime would collapse.
He could already imagine how overjoyed the tribes in the west and south would be when they knew that he had lost the war, and how quickly they would assemble their armies to take advantage of him. As the saying goes, when the tree falls, the monkeys scatter. Perhaps this was the situation that he was facing now.
"My king, if we don't think of a countermeasure, more people will escape. Now, many people have already escaped. We have to think of a countermeasure quickly!"
An old official who had followed Mang Yingli for many years looked at him with a bitter and hateful expression.
Countermeasure? I also want to know what countermeasure I should use …
"How many troops do we have left?"
Mang Yingli asked.
"At most 20,000, maybe less. Many defeated soldiers have already fled with their families. Many others are seriously injured and can't fight. If we really fight, we have no advantage at all. Now the city gate has been closed and handed over to the personal guards to manage. However, there are still people escaping from other places. My king, if we don't think of a solution, they will all run away."
The old official replied anxiously.
Mang Yingli sat up and sighed. "Run away! Run away! At this point, what else can I do? My family has run amok for decades, and it's finally time for retribution. There will no longer be a place for my family in this land. Every single one of them wants my life, and there's no point in continuing to resist. We can only be killed by the Ming army. If you want to live, then leave now! Go as far as you can. I'll stay here alone. "
The civil and military officials looked at each other in dismay, not daring to believe that these words had come from their king's mouth.
How could Mang Yingli, who used to be so arrogant, say such words? How could this be possible? Was this still their king?
No one could believe that their king had actually come to this point. After saying this, Mang Yingli directly curled up on the bed and didn't move. He looked like he was resigned to his fate.
A few of the personal guard generals looked at their king in disbelief. Then, they clenched their teeth and stomped their feet as they left. Some of the people who weren't very firm in their stance looked around and quietly left as well. There were also some old people who slowly left after shedding a few tears.
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