Chapter 115 One table of dishes, two tables of guests
Liuhe was besieged by the Yuan army. Geng Junyong and Geng Bingwen, father and son, joined forces. The army and the people were united and refused to give in to the Yuan army. The bloody battle lasted for three full days.
Tamerlane, who was originally confident of victory, was completely beaten and lost his temper.
Obviously there are not many people in the city, and the defense is very weak, but they have the ability to kill at every turn and give them a good look. What is even more depressing is that the soldiers and horses in the city are indeed good at fighting. The soldiers and horses under his command There is nothing else to do except suffer losses.
If this continues, it's still unclear who will win and who loses... Tamerlane also suffered two disastrous defeats, but this time he didn't just run away, but commanded his troops and horses to continue the siege, consuming the troops in the city, and at the same time leaving his brother to fight. Letter, requesting tactical guidance.
In contrast, Liuhe City was in full swing. From top to bottom, everyone was mobilized.
Due to the bumper harvest of summer and autumn grains, there was sufficient military rations in the city, enough to last for three months. The weapons prepared before were not small, so the Geng family and his son simply carried out extensive construction work. They dug trenches in the city to prevent the Yuan army from sneak attacks.
What's more, they dug trenches leading outside the city and attacked the Yuan army instead.
Such a group of young soldiers showed extraordinary enthusiasm and imagination, using all means to attack the enemy and protect themselves!
In the middle of such a busy crowd, the sound of pipa would be heard every day, and the melodious melody made the soldiers temporarily forget their fatigue and pain, listening attentively, with happy smiles on their faces.
Some people listened and even cried.
They were still young, they didn't want to kill, they just wanted to live a peaceful life, farm happily and support their families... But Yuan Tatar didn't agree. They killed ruthlessly and destroyed the home they had finally built.
In this case, don’t blame us for risking our lives!
In the continuous fighting, some people lost their lives and some were injured and disabled.
Life, separation and death happen all the time.
But the cruel reality will only make the soldiers more tenacious and share the same hatred of the enemy.
Zhou Huiniang was scared at first, but when she saw an injured soldier being carried on a stretcher, his face was bleeding and his flesh was turned out, she cried in panic: "I haven't married a wife yet, and I don't want to be a bachelor!"
Her heart was stabbed hard, this soldier was almost like her brother.
He killed two Tatars and suffered five or six wounds on his body, especially on his face. Even if he recovered, there would be scars.
Why are they willing to risk their lives and fight against the Yuan army?
Zhou Huiniang couldn't understand it for a moment. She just felt heartbroken. She had no other choice but to play the pipa over and over again outside the wounded soldier's residence to ease the pain of the wounded soldier.
Gradually, everyone got to know this beautiful woman, and her pipa became a specialty in the city. She played the pipa to the injured soldiers, to the soldiers guarding the city, and to the civilians.
Others have swords and guns in their hands, but she has the pipa in her hand, which is her weapon.
On this day, the killing at the top of the city was particularly brutal. Someone was injured every moment and was carried off the top of the city. There were not enough soldiers and horses, and even the civilians went up.
The dark blood dyed the city wall red, Liuhe was bleeding!
On this day, Zhou Huiniang played until the evening, until her fingers bled... She seemed to have forgotten the pain and became one with the pipa. The majestic Lanling King Entering the Battle Song played over and over again under the city wall.
The soldiers listened to the encouragement of the music, resolutely rushed to the top of the city, and fought bloody battles with the Yuan army. Along with the generous melody, they killed the Yuan army one after another and drove these beasts off the city.
Bodies piled up like mountains and blood formed rivers.
It was not until the second watch that the Yuan army finally retreated, and Zhou Huiniang finally stopped. Her fingers were trembling, her flesh and blood were blurred, and the heartbreaking pain made her forehead sweat.
But at this moment, there was applause from among the soldiers, which was long-lasting and passionate. As far as the eye could see, there were pairs of pure eyes, full of praise and admiration, and no trace of covetousness or greed could be seen.
Compared to the time when she sang "Red Ribbon" and was rewarded with tens of millions of dollars in silver, she felt another kind of emotion that made her tremble all over.
Zhou Huiniang suddenly picked up Pipa and ran quickly back to her residence. She cried, but she cried happily.
The first twenty years of life were simply a nightmare!
She thought she had seen all the cruelty of the world in the brothel, but after these few days, she realized how shallow she was! She finally understood the wonderful feeling of being respected and affirmed by others.
At this moment, Zhou Huiniang was extremely sure. She finally understood what it meant to be like a human being!
"Third uncle, I have the answer to your question." Zhou Huiniang put away her sadness and calmed down.
"How can you say that a group of young people who blush when they talk are fighting against the vicious Yuan Tarzi! Now I can tell you that it is precisely because they are kind, shy, kind and polite... that they have to fight more and more to keep everything.
No one is allowed to destroy it. The bravest people in this world are not the vicious bad guys, but the good guys who fight for themselves!"
Zhou Huiniang's eyes sparkled. She was very lucky that she chose to come to Chuzhou and participate in such a battle.
She has enlightened!
Jiang San squinted his eyes, thinking for a long time, and suddenly smiled. His thick eyebrows stood up, and he sneered: "Young lady, just think about it. Although Uncle San is old, the knife in his hand is not old yet! The dog Tatars want to enter."
City, you have to ask me first if I agree!"
…
The battle to defend the city in Liuhe became increasingly fierce.
And this battle, from the beginning, affected the hearts and minds of the Zhu family army.
First of all, there are not many defenders in Liuhe. Feng Guoyong left half a thousand households, Geng Junyong had one thousand households, Geng Bingwen only had three cavalry hundred households, and then there were Liuhe's militia, the young men in the city.
No matter how you calculate it, the number of elites that can be drawn out to fight will not exceed 2,000.
How can you fight against the imperial army with so few troops?
Tang He, Feng Guoyong, Hua Yun, and other generals all actively requested the battle, and they happened to bring their newly trained troops to teach the Yuan army a lesson.
However, amidst the calls for battle, Xu Da had nothing to say. He lowered his head, thoughtfully.
As for another key figure, Zhang Ximeng, the manager of the Department of Experience, suddenly said quietly, "Why don't you just defeat Timur, a fat guy like Timur? Isn't it too conservative?"
Hearing Zhang Ximeng's words, Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes suddenly widened, and he nodded unconsciously, it was indeed true!
First of all, Timur was Tuotuo's younger brother, the imperial censor of the Yuan Dynasty. He had a high and powerful position and was unusual.
But from another perspective, Shahe's disastrous defeat showed that this guy is a complete loser.
Now he leads 20,000 soldiers and horses to besiege Liuhe. If he is allowed to leave easily, it will look like Zhu Jiajun is too useless.
"Sir, if you want to eat it, why don't you eat Timur first?"
Zhang Ximeng nodded, "My lord, Tuotuo cannot attack Gaoyou. The battle there has entered a stalemate. Tuotuo will definitely not be able to divide its troops on a large scale in the short term. We have more than 50,000 soldiers and horses in our hands. If we are still indifferent
, it would be too conservative to just be beaten passively.”
After Zhang Ximeng finished speaking, Xu Da unexpectedly stood up and echoed: "Come on, Zhang's experience makes sense. Now Tuotuo can only have tens of thousands of people at most, and they are only evenly matched with us. Moreover, his troops are tired from long battles.
It is no longer time to send troops. We take the initiative to attack, which can not only inspire people, but also rescue Gaoyou and pull back the Yuan army. It is best to take the opportunity to force hundreds of thousands of Yuan troops away. Only in this way can we develop and grow calmly and not be passive everywhere.
!”
Xu Da did not dare to imagine that the Tuotuo army would collapse overnight.
But his ideas are highly consistent with Zhang Ximeng's.
With the Battle of Gaoyou going on for a month, Zhu Jiajun's opportunity finally came!
Lao Zhu looked at his most trusted man, Wen Yiwu, and thought about the current situation for a while. He finally said slowly: "How will this battle be fought?"
Zhang Ximeng thought for a while and immediately said: "My lord, Geng Junyong and Geng Bingwen are both thoughtful, brave and good at fighting. Although there are not many Liuhe, the city defense is still strong and the supplies are abundant. The Yuan army cannot conquer it all at once. Since
So, I thought we should give the Yuan army a pocket formation and eat them all."
When Zhang Ximeng said this, he was also excited.
The previous round of encirclement and annihilation of Zhao Junyong ended in a tailspin because of Miao Daheng's rebellion, and he did not enjoy the joy of the battle. Now the opportunity comes again, and there are 20,000 Yuan troops. This is much more enjoyable than getting rid of Zhao Junyong.
In fact, if you look at the map, you will find that this battle is not difficult to fight along the Yangtze River.
First, Timur was outside Liuhe City. He wanted to escape, but he could only go to the northeast and take a long journey, escape back to Gaoyou, and join forces with Tuotuo.
Or go south, pass Zhenzhou (later Yizheng), and go to Yangzhou.
For Zhu Jiajun, if he wants to completely annihilate Timur, the key is how to seal these two doors and completely close the door and beat the dog!
Zhang Ximeng said: "My lord, these two routes have different difficulties. To attack Zhenzhou, you need to avoid alarming Timur first. Therefore, you must advance along the north bank of the Yangtze River. A total of more than 150 miles of road, very long.
The road is rugged and difficult to navigate. We must reach Zhenzhou within three days, capture it successfully, and hold on to it. You can imagine how difficult it is!"
After listening to Zhang Ximeng's words, Zhu Yuanzhang's generals were also thinking about it, could they do it themselves?
If it fails, the consequences will be disastrous.
After a long silence, Feng Guoyong suddenly stood up and said, "Sir, please leave this matter to Beizhi! It was Beizhi's job to be stationed in Liuhe. This time, give Beizhi a chance and we will definitely win Zhenzhou!"
Zhu Yuanzhang pondered for a while, although Feng Guoyong was not the original team member he recruited from his hometown, he was a versatile man in both civil and military affairs and had great strategies, so he was a very trustworthy person!
"Okay! In that case, I'll give you two thousand households, plus some scouts and cavalry. What do you think?"
"Thank you sir!"
Feng Guoyong was overjoyed after receiving the order.
At this time, Zhang Ximeng said again: "The next step is the crucial direction of Tianchang. This place is right between Liuhe and Gaoyou. Originally Zhang Shicheng sent people to occupy it, but later Zhang Shicheng withdrew to Gaoyou, and the place fell into the hands of the Yuan army again, but the garrison
But not much. But because it is close to Gaoyou, if a battle breaks out, Tuotuo will definitely send reinforcements. How to block Tuotuo, close the door and beat the dog, and kill Timur first is a test of one's ability, and one cannot be careless.
.”
As Zhang Ximeng spoke, his eyes kept scanning Xu Da. After all, he was the only one who had the best grasp!
Xu Da did not live up to Zhang Ximeng's expectations. He stood up decisively and asked Lao Zhu for orders.
"In this case, Xu Da led the troops and horses of his headquarters and immediately set off from Lai'an, marching all the way to seize Tianchang." Lao Zhu said again: "The two of them led the troops out, and the remaining troops and horses will follow us to encircle and annihilate Liuhe."
First Timur!"
With a wave of his hand, Zhu Yuanzhang decided on the battle strategy.
Everyone was actively preparing to go, but Zhang Ximeng stopped Xu Da.
"With less than five thousand soldiers and horses, wouldn't it be too thin?"
Xu Da knew Zhang Ximeng's good intentions. He thought for a while and said: "Soldiers and horses are valuable, and there are more people. I'm afraid of causing trouble. But if you are serious, sir, can you let Peng Zaozhu and Miao Daheng attack Huai'an?"
"Attack Huai'an?"
"Yes, Huai'an is the base camp for Tuotuo's march south, and he has accumulated a huge amount of luggage. As long as Huai'an is attacked, Tuotuo will definitely return his troops! Moreover, even Huai'an cannot be saved, and the criticism of Tuotuo from the DPRK and China will inevitably increase."
Hearing this, Zhang Ximeng couldn't help being shocked and overjoyed. You must know that Xu Da was not present when he analyzed Tuotuo's situation. At this moment, he could actually speak out a high-level argument that took advantage of Yuan Ting's contradictions. He was really making rapid progress.
War is the best way to improve people's abilities!
"Okay, I'll go discuss it with the lord now!"
Xu Da thanked him again and again and said goodbye to Zhang Ximeng.
He led his troops, marched under starry night, to raid Tianchang. On the other side, Feng Guoyong had also set off, regardless of dangers, to attack Zhenzhou.
As for the middle route, from Tang He on down, the main generals from thousands of families were all on the list, and they all followed Zhu Yuanzhang on the expedition.
This time can be called the largest military operation since the establishment of the Zhu Jiajun.
The air is filled with tension.
Zhang Ximeng also accompanied the army as counselor to the military aircraft. They did not make a big fanfare, but set off one after another towards Liuhe and surrounded it.
But just when the main force of the Zhu family army was about to arrive in Liuhe and launch an attack, a top-secret letter passed through Jia Lu's hands and was delivered to Zhu Yuanzhang.
"Tuotuo was dissatisfied with Timur's delay in success, so he sent another 30,000 people to help Liuhe."
Zhu Yuanzhang looked at the date and couldn't help but take a breath of air. The Yuan army had already set out for two days, and the forward troops might not be far away from Tianchang.
If Xu Da had moved slower, he might have fallen behind the Yuan army.
Facing this letter, Zhang Ximeng was sweating on his forehead and murmured: "Another thirty thousand people have come. This is one table of food and two tables of guests!"
Zhu Yuanzhang's pupils shrank, and a huge invisible pressure fell on his shoulders.
Continue to fight?
Or change plans?
At this time, two groups of troops were sent out, and the main force was ready to attack and had no choice but to attack.
However, the sudden appearance of an army of 30,000 yuan more than doubled the difficulty of the war.
Lao Zhu didn't think for long before he said firmly: "Two tables of guests will be two tables! Cook them all in one pot!"
Zhang Ximeng breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Lao Zhu's resolute attitude, "My lord, in this case, we must immediately concentrate our forces and defeat Tamerlane first, and then send his army north to collide with the main force of the Yuan army!"