Chapter 597: Winter Snow Sea, the Great Wheel of Life and Death (6)
The snow finally stopped, and the atmosphere in Xiacun Valley became lively.
Even in heavy snow days, the army did not completely stop training. The better ones crawled and rolled in the snow, and the weaker ones practiced charging. There were already many people in the valley, and they took turns shoveling the snow non-stop, replacing training with labor.
It never stopped. Only a part of the body was really inoperable and was taken away to rest.
In these years, after all, the army still has physical problems. Everyone is not well-off on weekdays. Soldiers who cannot eat a few pieces of meat a month are also in poor health. But on the other hand, those who have survived the hard days,
They tend to withstand more hardship, so there are not many soldiers who would be unable to withstand the severe cold.
In order to maintain the livelihood of more than 10,000 people, Ning Yi used a lot of connections - not only the logistics system of the Right Prime Minister's Office, but also the good reputation established with landlords, wealthy gentry from all over the country during the disaster relief. The previous time was for
Saving people also gave everyone an opportunity to make money. This time it was for war. Ning Yi used the government's reputation to make a promise to overdraft the food hoarded by these rich gentry to fill the gap in the military supply. After the war was over, he would
Some countries will make up for it.
In order to prevent the Xiacun Valley from being suddenly attacked by Jurchens and having to collapse and move again, these grains were temporarily stored on the north bank of the Yellow River and transported every few days. More grains would be transferred in later stages. Although it was troublesome and due to the Yellow River
The North Bank has also been affected to a certain extent by the strong walls and clear wilderness, but after all the efforts, the military ration problem can still be guaranteed. Ning Yi has the original bamboo record as the backend, and occasionally some pickled and easy-to-preserve vegetables and meat are added to it, temporarily
Food that seems to be good is a key factor in supporting the healthy operation of the valley in addition to publicity.
On weekdays, the snow is swept away piece by piece. After the heavy snow stopped, all the snow in the valley was quickly cleared away. A large amount of snow was piled on the outside of the valley, like a hill. If the Jurchen cavalry came over,
, it’s more or less a hindrance.
Snowdrifts, five consecutive layers of horses, and trenches between the horses are the outermost defense system of the Xiacun Valley. Along the mountain, lookout towers, wooden walls, and other objects are still being destroyed one after another.
After the road was built, the elm cannons brought from Luliang Mountain have been placed at key positions one by one. As many as eighty elm cannons and several iron cannons have been carefully selected for their positions in an effort to dominate the valley.
A cross fire network formed in front.
The power of the elm cannon is naturally not greater than that of the iron cannon of later generations. On a large battlefield, or in an open place like the head of Bianliang City, it will not have much effect. However, in the front of the valley and the surrounding area
, the relatively narrow terrain and more than 80 firepower points are enough to give Ning Yi a sense of security. Of course, for others, this sense of security will be reduced by half when the effect of the elm cannon is not clear yet.
"If ten or twenty thousand people rush over, the mountains and plains will be filled with people..."
Walking with Qin Shaoqian by the fortifications, talking like this, my heart felt less at ease than before.
Although the mouth of the valley is narrow, the mountains on both sides are not actually very steep. If it is really attacked by a large army, it will not encounter enemies on one side, but more likely on three sides.
More than eighty cannons were blocked for a while, but they could not stop the world. Especially the elm cannons at this time still had quality problems. Although the batch brought by Luliang Mountain were all improved and reinforced good things, on average,
Each cannon fires ten shells, which may be the limit of its lifespan, and there must be a long interval in between. Iron cannons are naturally better, but at this time, iron cannons, like elm cannons, still have a fairly large explosion chamber.
Danger.
This way...it's like playing a tower defense game.
Standing on the wooden fortification, Ning Yi thought in his heart. Beside him, Qin Shaoqian, Hongti, Han Jing and others were all there. There were busy scenes inside and outside the valley. Outside the defensive wall, a large number of trees had been
After all the cutting, an open space with short wooden stakes was left. Some people were practicing bows and arrows here, and Yuwen Feidu was also in the queue not far away - shooting arrows at the trees further away.
A young man who was moving things finished his work and walked by. This young man had dark skin. He was a young man named Xiaohei from Luliang Mountain. In a sense, he was also half a disciple of Hongti. The two of them were in Luliang Mountain.
, also had a friendship.
Yuwen Feidu's arrow accurately flew to the trees in the distance, and then turned back: "How?"
"…Cripple."
Xiao Hei dragged his feet forward.
Yuwen Feidu looked up to the sky and took a breath: "How can you let me endure you? Pick up a hidden weapon!"
He picked up a stone and threw it at Xiao Hei. Xiao Hei stretched out his hand to grab it, but Yuwen Feidu had already rushed over. One of his feet was indeed inconvenient, which caused some damage to his lower body skills.
However, the lame leg was not a broken leg, which was a bit inconvenient, but a lot of effort was still there, and the two of them quickly fought together, and their boxing techniques intertwined, which was particularly fierce.
Ning Yi, Hong Ti and others all smiled when they looked at it, but then Qin Shaoqian became solemn and pointed in a direction to the side. At the other end of the valley, a horse team came over, with several people above them, all wearing white close-fitting clothes.
, if not riding a horse, in the heavy snow in the sky, it is almost impossible to see it from a distance.
The horse team entered the valley, and the leader came here. Then on this wooden city defense, he reported the development of the situation in a low voice to Ning Yi and others. The faces of Ning Yi and others also became serious.
After the leader left, Ning Yi put his hands on the edge of the city wall and looked outside for a while before turning back to continue chatting with Qin Shaoqian and others.
The sound is not too high.
"...The bait has been put out, it's hard to say whether it will be eaten or not..."
"...For this kind of thing, it is better to believe that it is true than to believe that it is not true. After the spring floods begin, the dykes will burst. Then, the Jurchens will have to play it real no matter what... I hope Bianliang can hold on..."
"That's not what we want to think about. If the cauldron sinks the boat, the miserable soldiers will win. Bianliang is an imperial city. If it cannot be defended, the country will be destroyed and the family will be destroyed. The prime minister and others in the city know this, and we can only believe that they can
Guarded..."
"No matter how good the plan is, if we really want to fight, it will be difficult here. Whether we can handle it or not is a big problem..."
"After more than a month of hard work, it is a fool's dream to train an elite soldier who can fight in every battle. Being able to prepare for a battle in the place we have chosen is the biggest advantage that clowns like us can gain. We cannot afford it.
There is only death, there is nothing to say..."
"Taiyuan has been besieged for so long. Although no news has come out, aren't we still carrying the burden..."
"We've already taken advantage...it's hard for Taiyuan..."
Since Zonghan went south and began to attack the city, Taiyuan was firmly stuck on the path of the Jurchen West Route Army. The chief officer was Qin Shaoqian's elder brother Qin Shaohe. Initially, some news came from the rescue of the Western Army.
After the failure, Zong Han's troops had completely raided and sealed off the area. With the same idea as Zong Wang, Zong Han also wanted to target the fortified city and train the Jurchens in siege tactics. After Taiyuan became an information blind spot,
We can only deduce from the leaked news about Scale Claw that the offensive and defensive battle in Taiyuan City was carried out extremely fiercely.
The Jurchen West Route Army did not wait outside the city for too long. Unlike the East Route Army, they did not have as many Qinwang troops as Bianliang to deal with. Zong Han was also anxious about the war in the south, so they launched a large-scale attack on Taiyuan City.
, However, the resolute resistance of Taiyuan City was beyond their expectations.
This is just inferred information. There were too many things that needed to be done to reorganize after the fiasco of Wurui Camp. The situation outside Bianliang City was too critical. No one had time to turn their attention to the north. And on September 2
After nearly forcing the emperor into the palace on the 15th, Zhou Zhe almost completely handed over the defense of Bianliang City to Li Gang, Zhong Shidao, Qin Siyuan and others with a silent and passive attitude.
This kind of silence is dangerous. It does not mean that he trusts these people. The emperor is losing his temper with everyone. Moreover, as people with access to high-level information, Ning Yi, Qin Shaoqian and others can realize that for the Right Prime Minister's Mansion
The emperor was not without insight into the role he played that night. Even if he was not sure, he must have been suspicious and resentful. The direct consequence of this situation was that it was almost impossible for Taiyuan City to receive any rescue in the short term.
No one knows how long Taiyuan City can hold on in that isolated area. But one thing is believed, if Taiyuan can hold on for so long, Bianliang City will also have such an opportunity. All the gambles of Ning Yi and others will
They are all based on this premise.
If Bianliang City is destroyed, everything will stop. And even if Bianliang is defended, Ning Yi, Hongti, and Qin Shaoqian will still need to put in a thousand percent of their efforts. In the end, see if it is possible to seize that one percent
hope.
But there is no doubt that many people will die.
Although the Wu Dynasty's combat power was weak, its military resources were still well developed. A large number of bows, arrows, gunpowder, and various ordnances had been continuously transferred to Ning Yi's location. However, compared with the Jurchens, there are currently more than 10,000 people in the valley.
At what level is the combat effectiveness? Even if defense is added, whether it can be exchanged for one is a matter that makes everyone doubtful. Ning Yi is not optimistic at all.
In any case, our side is a miscellaneous army that has been defeated for less than two months, and the opponent it faces is the strongest army in the world at the moment.
The sky after the snow stopped had a rare clarity, the sky was clear and empty, and the air was cold and pleasant. Ning Yi looked in the direction of Bianliang City and took a deep breath, regardless of whether Zong Wang would be completely eaten as they expected.
Bait, Ning Yi knew that the letter sent over would become the real fire that lit the fuse.
So he could know that the fuse was already burning, and they had lit it with their own hands. But it was still unknown when the moment of burning out would come.
In Bianliang, after the snow stopped, every household was shoveling snow on the streets. In the past few days, the city defense has not been relaxed. But even if there is a certain degree of psychological preparation, no one can know that the most cruel test is about to come in a few days.
Before that, several small, simple episodes were happening under this sky...