Su Hu inspected the Hanyin Defense Line, which was a reinforced concrete permanent fortification built by the commander-in-chief spending a lot of money.
It is mainly divided into two parts, the Hanyin Fort on the mountain and the bunker at the foot of the mountain.
150 heavy artillery pieces are deployed in the Hanyin Fort and 110 medium artillery pieces are deployed in the bunker.
The bunker is also connected by trenches. Soldiers hide in the trenches and attack the enemy with flintlock guns and 75mm light artillery.
The 75 light artillery is an improved Tiger Crouching Cannon. It can shoot solid bullets directly and can also shoot shotgun shells in a curved direction.
He believed that the Ming army would never be able to break through this steel line of defense.
Su Hu came to the Hanyin Fort and asked Qin Xiangkun, the chief of staff: "Have the firing conditions of the Hanyin Fort been adjusted?"
When Qin Xiangkun heard Su Hu's inquiry, he smiled confidently.
"The Hanyin Fort has a total of fifty heavy guns.
Based on the knowledge taught by Commander Su at the military academy, I have adjusted the shooting elements of the fort.
We then only know where the enemy is and can attack them with artillery.
This is the iron cannon from the arsenal, and it is the first time it has been put into battle.
Iron cannons have more charges than bronze cannons, making them more powerful.
Whether the Ming army took the Han River or the mountain road, unless they wanted to take the mountain path, they could not transport food.
As long as they take the main road, especially the cement road we built, they must pass through Hanyin.
The defense line we have built cannot be broken by the Ming army."
Su Hu also believed that the Ming army could not break through the Hanyin defense line.
These forts and bunkers are more difficult to attack than all the famous cities in the world.
His main task was to delay the Ming army's attack.
The longer the Ming army is delayed, the better it will be for them.
When Su Hu received the good news from Hanzhong City, he knew that Su He had led the army to break through Jianmen Pass.
His brother Su Xiong walked through Micang Road with difficulty, captured Bazhou, and was leading his troops towards Chongqing.
Su Hu realized that victory already belonged to them, and as long as they held the Hanyin defense line, they would see the light of day.
Jianmen Pass was breached, and when Zhu Xieyuan got the news, he would definitely go crazy.
Zhu Xieyuan did not want Sichuan to fall, so he would not slowly mobilize troops. He would definitely send the troops accumulated in Xunyang Mansion to storm the Hanyin defense line.
Zhu Xieyuan hoped to defeat them in one battle, directly kill Xing'an Prefecture and occupy Hanzhong City.
The more the enemy wants to do something, the less likely they are to be allowed to complete it.
Su Hu realized the changes in the battlefield situation and immediately put the soldiers of the Third Division into preparation for war.
He had confidence in the Hanyin defense line, but the Ming army was too numerous.
Third Master Zhu Shi Qu Xiangyang walked into the room, holding a struggling pigeon in his hand.
Skillfully untie the bamboo tubes on the pigeon's legs.
Qu Xiangyang opened the letter above and handed it to Su Hu.
Su Hu took out the codebook and decrypted the contents of the letter.
"This is the latest intelligence from the internal affairs department. Zhu Xieyuan has gathered their troops, which on paper is 150,000.
But Neiying estimated based on the intelligence he collected that the Ming army had at most 80,000 military households, and the rest were captured strong men, about 20,000 to 30,000.
In addition, Zhu Xieyuan has officially issued an order, and Teng Jiayan, the commander of the Huguang Xingdu Division, and Hu Wensheng, the staff general of the Huguang Navy, will be the vanguard to launch an attack on us.
Thanks to the activities of our internal response, the Hongyi artillery and artillery were all transported by Hu Wensheng's fleet."
Qin Xiangkun frowned and said: "This is a hundred thousand people, and our Hanyin defense line only has ten thousand people.
Fortunately, our main purpose is to stop the Ming army and rely on fortifications to fight defensive battles. There is no problem at all.
You and we must kill all the Hongyi artillery and artillery."
Qu Xiangyang also agreed: "When the Ming army attacks for the first time, we must take the lead.
Shoot out half of the stored ammunition.
The Ming army must be shocked at the beginning. They will be frightened and will never bite the bullet and attack.
The grassroots officers of the Ming army will definitely obey the rules and violate the rules.
Even if the generals want to make meritorious deeds, they cannot control the lower-level officers and directly command the military households beyond these officers."
"The Ming Navy Navy, I will arrange the troops and try my best to annihilate them all."
Su Hu turned around and looked at Qu Xiangyang.
"Master Qu Zhu, this is a very good idea, I accept your opinion.
Master Qu Zhu is responsible for strengthening the walls and clearing the country, and arranging for the evacuation of the people on the east side of the Hanyin defense line. Have all the people been evacuated now?"
Qu Xiangyang lamented: "It is really difficult to evacuate the people.
Many people are unable to leave their homeland and are unwilling to evacuate.
The people did not listen to what the township chief said. In the end, they had no choice but to send people to take away these stubborn people by force.
We cannot ignore them, we must strengthen the walls and clear the fields. Some dead animal carcasses are thrown away from the wells in the village.
Not a grain of food was left for the Ming army.
These Ming troops were unable to obtain supplies locally, which was inseparable from the Han River and the cement roads we built.
In this way, they cannot avoid the Hanyin defense line. If the Ming army chooses to take a small road, we will directly cut off the food road and trap them to death."
Qin Xiangkun looked at Qu Xiangyang and said with a smile: "You wish the master to be so eloquent, but there are still people who don't listen to your advice.
We really need to evacuate all the people. When I was studying in school, I heard about many cases.
The Ming army did not regard ordinary people as human beings at all.
If these people stay in the village, they can only be killed by the Ming army generals."
The three of them talked with each other and suggested that they should know something.
Qu Xiangyang let the dove fly again.
He learned about the battle situation Su Hu and Qin Xiangkun had just discussed.
Qu Xiangyang agreed: "We just need to firmly defend the Hanyang defense line.
The Ming army does not have enough combat power. If we can really take out the Hongyi cannon, the Ming army will not be able to defeat us in a short time.
If we fight for a long time, we have a very good chance of winning.
We have local people to rely on, and the supplies are very sufficient.
The Han River and cement roads can both replenish our supplies.
Our injured personnel can be transported directly to the rear for recuperation.
The Ming army needs to transport supplies from Huguang. Although there is a waterway called Han River, the convenience is not as good as ours."
The three of them reached a consensus that only defense is the choice to maximize interests.
They held back Zhu Xieyuan's army and relieved the pressure on Su He and Su Xiong in Sichuan.
And the most important point is that they lack strength and have no way to take the initiative.
The strength of the Hanyin defense line was ten times that of the Ming army.
Huguang is a province with a large population and food supply. They sent out these troops and left some Ming troops to stay in various parts of Huguang.
If you really take the initiative, both sides will suffer losses.
Zhu Xieyuan was forced to give up the stability of Huguang and mobilized a large army.
When Su Hu got the exact information, he went out and arranged for his men to ambush the Han River and kill the Ming army's Hongyi cannon.
Without the Hongyi artillery, the Ming army could not possibly break through the Hanyin defense line.
Time passed slowly, and Su Hu was ready to welcome the arrival of the Ming army.
He stood on the top of a hill, next to a concrete fort.
Guarded by heavy artillery, he would never let the Ming army advance even one step from here.
Su Hu saw red fireworks exploding in the sky ahead.
This was a signal from Feng Sanqiu. They had seen the Ming army and were preparing to attack the Ming navy.
…
Feng Sanqiu led a company of soldiers to hide in the reeds in a large boat.
There are large wooden barrels with a diameter of half a meter on board, and each ship contains more than a hundred.
A bamboo tube is inserted above the wooden barrel, and inside the bamboo tube is a special incense.
This kind of incense burns very stably and is not easily extinguished by the wind. It can continue to burn even if it is stained with a small amount of water.
The burning speed of Xinxiang is very stable.
This wooden barrel is a mine, a bomb floating in the water.
After Feng Sanqiu sent out the flare, he told Su Hu that he was ready to launch an attack.
He immediately ordered: "Everyone pay attention to safety, follow usual training, and operate mines carefully."
Feng Sanqiu led his soldiers and steered the ship to the center of Han River.
Their ships lined up on the river to ensure that the mines could be dropped and cover the entire river.
The soldiers rowed hard to prevent the boat they were riding from going down the river.
Each person carried the mine and placed it in the water.
Soldiers have their own numbers, and the lengths of the mine incense are also different.
The soldiers held the mine with a rope to prevent it from leaving the ship.
Feng Sanqiu took out the telescope from his pocket. It was an extremely precious thing.
None of his superiors had this thing. This was a telescope lent to him by the chief of staff when he was performing an important mission.
Feng Sanqiu had already seen the Ming army's ships through his telescope.
He kept calculating in his mind how close the Ming army team was to him.
These mines are not trigger-type and are detonated by incense.
The flow rate of the water and the distance to the target must be calculated.
The distance was not calculated correctly, and the mine did not explode near the Ming fleet.
They all wasted their efforts and could only drive fire ships to ram the well-prepared Ming warships.
Feng Sanqiu calculated the distance in his mind.
He blew the whistle in his hand.
The soldiers drew a neat line, used the fire sticks in their hands to light the incense on the mines, and covered the bamboo tube lid.
Feng Sanqiu blew the whistle again, and the soldiers in the first row released the rope in their hands.
The mine floats downstream along the current.
Feng Sanqiu blew the whistle again, and the soldiers in the second row released the rope in their hands.
He kept blowing the whistle, and the mines floated towards the Ming fleet at different intervals.
After all the ships had dropped mines, Feng Sanqiu led the soldiers to the reeds again.
He brought a few backbones, each man driving a fire ship, waiting for the mines to disrupt the Ming army's naval formation.
Feng Sanqiu did not expect that mines could destroy the Ming navy.
Mines create opportunities for them, and fire ships are the weapon to destroy the Ming navy.
The fireboat was loaded with a load of wood, and they were dousing it with heavy fire oil.
Feng Sanqiu waited for the opportunity and rushed towards the Ming Navy with his fireship.
Most of the naval brigade followed Su Xiong south to Sichuan, leaving only the naval warships and a small number of troops.
They can only rely on strategies to defeat the Ming Navy.
Even if the naval brigade was in Xing'an Prefecture, it could not defeat the Ming Dynasty Navy in its heyday.
…
Hu Wensheng took his warship and walked at the front.
They have received information that thieves in yellow have built a large number of forts on Hanyin Mountain and on the shore.
This is still some distance away from Hanyin Fort.
He can also enjoy a short period of peace and quiet.
Hu Wensheng saw Governor Zhu Xieyuan buying some cement produced by the yellow thieves from businessmen.
This kind of cement is mixed with sand and stones, and some iron bars are added in the middle to form concrete that is harder than rock.
Hu Wensheng was very depressed. The red barbarian cannons on their ship could not defeat the cannons of the yellow-clothed thieves.
He is also usually in charge of the riverside forts in Hanyang Prefecture and Wuchang Prefecture.
Hu Wensheng knew that when firing from a ship, the current of the Han River would not be too fast, but the accuracy of the cannons would not be as accurate as the forts on the shore.
Governor Zhu Xieyuan said that the Hongyi cannon was too heavy and Xing'an Prefecture was a mountainous area, so it was difficult for the Hongyi cannon to be transported by land.
Even if the thieves in yellow have built cement roads all over Xing'an Prefecture, land transportation is not as fast as water transportation.
In order to capture Xing'an Prefecture as soon as possible, he allowed him to transport the troops' Hongyi artillery through waterways.
The Hongyi artillery and artillery units that are now advancing are coming in transport ships behind the warships.
Hu Wensheng felt that this was inappropriate, but others kept silent.
"Look, sir, there are many wooden barrels floating on the river ahead."
When Hu Wensheng heard the shouts of the navy officers and soldiers, he came to the edge of the ship's deck and looked toward the water of Han River ahead.
There are many wooden barrels floating on the water, densely packed in a large area.
The barrels floated along the current toward his fleet.
"Notify all vessels to slow down and proceed slowly.
Use every possible means to stop these things and prevent them from approaching the ship."
Hu Wensheng immediately ordered, and at the same time asked his confidants to go to the stern of the ship and shout to other ships to pass on his orders.
The thief in yellow is good at attacking with firearms, a strange thing that suddenly appears on the river.
Hu Wensheng immediately became nervous and treated these things with caution.
After hearing Hu Wensheng's instructions, the navy officers and soldiers began to think of various ways to deal with the wooden barrels floating on the water.
They used bows and arrows to shoot at these barrels, but it had basically no effect.
Bows and arrows hit the barrels, and some barrels were overturned and rolled on the water.
There are also bows and arrows that are nailed directly to the barrel, and the barrel just deflects.
Some barrels were covered by arrows, and the barrels were directly broken by bows and arrows.
The thin iron box inside the wooden barrel was exposed, and it sank directly to the bottom of the river.
Hu Wensheng saw that the attack by navy officers and soldiers did not cause much damage to the barrels.
A large number of wooden barrels floated along the current, and some barrels floated directly near his warship.
The barrel hit the ship, but nothing happened.
When Hu Wensheng saw this situation, his nervous expression relaxed a little.
"Sir, there's nothing wrong.
This must be the boat the yellow thief was carrying things in, which sank and a large number of wooden barrels were thrown into the river.
If you're worried, sir, let's fish it out and have a look."
"Just catch one and tell the fleet to speed up.
We need to rush to Hanyin as soon as possible and hand over the Hongyi artillery and artillery to Commander Teng Jiayan."
Hu Wensheng saw many wooden barrels floating directly downstream along the current.
There were not many barrels in front of his warship.
Hu Wensheng felt that something was wrong. The barrels were spaced too regularly.
It's not like the boat capsized suddenly and the barrel fell into the river. It seemed to have been manipulated by humans.
The soldiers on the ship finally fished out a wooden barrel with a fishing net.
When they saw the appearance of the barrel, they shouted in horror:
"Sir, this kind of barrel is a firearm, and there is something burning on it."
Hu Wensheng was so frightened that he broke into a cold sweat. His expression changed and he ran over immediately.
I saw something like an incense candle burning on the barrel. It was almost finished burning, and only a little bit was left in the barrel.
When Hu Wensheng saw this situation, he immediately pulled out his knife and cut off the incense candle directly against the root.
Kick the barrel back into the river.
Hu Wensheng was frightened by the wooden barrels floating on the river. These barrels basically surrounded his fleet.
The thief in yellow is capable and his calculations are just right.
Hu Wensheng immediately issued the order.
"This is the firearm of the thief in yellow. Let the fleet pull over quickly and everyone get off the ship immediately."
His big ship was just about to dock.
There was a loud bang.
The barrel that had floated to the rear of the fleet exploded.
After the first barrel exploded, within a short period of time, the other barrels exploded one after another.
When Hu Wensheng saw the fleet at the rear, it was completely filled with gunpowder smoke and he could not see clearly the situation of the fleet.
On the left side of his boat, a large gash was opened by the barrel.
The ship was hit and rocked violently.
The river water has entered the cabin, and the boat is slowly tilting to the left.
When Hu Wensheng saw this situation, he knew that the fleet was playing tricks.
"This boat can't be saved. Get ashore quickly."
He and his men immediately abandoned ship and landed.
…
Feng Sanqiu saw a fire burning on the river to the east through his telescope.
He led his troops to sail the fireboat and set off immediately, quickly approaching the Ming army warship.
Next to him were many warships equipped with 110 medium-sized artillery pieces, escorting him around.
Prevent the Ming Dynasty Navy and its warships that still have combat effectiveness from attacking them.
Feng Sanqiu was on the boat, encouraging his soldiers.
"Brothers, the mine plan is half successful.
Judging from the scale of the explosion, most of the warships of the Ming Dynasty Navy lost their combat effectiveness.
We must take advantage of this opportunity to burn all their ships.
We followed the previous drill and jumped off the ship immediately after it was lit.
There are brothers in warships nearby to meet us."
Feng Sanqiu led the fire fleet and quickly approached the Ming Navy.
He saw that 70% of the warships of the Ming Navy were damaged.
But most of them are only damaged. These ships have watertight compartments and part of the hull is damaged, so they will not sink directly into the river.
These warships cannot be put into battle without major repairs.
When the warships saw the warships of the Ming Navy, they immediately surrounded them and attacked the warships of the Ming Navy with their cannons.
Feng Sanqiu drove his fire ship towards the large transport ship at the rear of the fleet.
There are Hongyi cannons and artillery transported up here, they must be destroyed.
Feng Sanqiu drove the fireship, approached the large transport ship, and adjusted the direction of the fireship.
If the fire ship follows the current, it will hit this big ship.
They are several fireships trying to collide with a big ship. As long as they are roughly in the right direction, there will be no problem.
He took out his tinderbox, lit a piece of paper on fire, and threw it on the firewood in the cabin.
The firewood poured with heavy fire oil immediately burned violently.
Feng Sanqiu lit the fire boat and immediately jumped into the river. There were warships to meet him.
…
Zhu Xieyuan looked at Teng Jiayan and Hu Wensheng who looked decadent, and the anger in his heart rose.
"How can you two losers fight?
You have lost your troops and generals before making contact with the thieves in yellow.
Teng Jiayan, you are also a veteran. I asked you to attack the thieves in yellow, but you are afraid to fight here.
When we went out to fight, I repeatedly told him that if anyone refused to fight, I would kill him."
Teng Jiayan and Hu Wensheng immediately knelt down.
Hu Wensheng first spoke in defense: "My Lord Governor, it's not me, Hu Wensheng, who is afraid of war.
The weapons of the thieves in yellow were so sharp that they burned down all our warships and transport ships.
I am from the Navy, and we are really not good at attacking tough battles."
Teng Jiayan looked at Hu Wensheng angrily and said helplessly: "Your Majesty, the Governor is aware of this, so I started to lead troops to test it.
Hu Wensheng lost all the Hongyi cannon and artillery and ran out with only a few broken boats.
Without artillery cover, the yellow-clad thieves' cement fortifications could not be filled even if we sacrificed our lives to fill them.
I sent two thousand households under my command to attack, but they only came back with 200 men.
As a result, the morale of the military collapsed directly, and no one was willing to attack anymore."
Zhu Xieyuan watched these two people, especially Hu Wensheng, throw all the Hongyi cannons into the river.
It will take him at least half a month to mobilize the artillery from Huguang.
Hongyi Artillery still had a way, but he was really heartbroken at the loss of so many artillery pieces.
There is simply no experienced artillery available now.
During this half month, the thieves in yellow were in Sichuan, and they didn't know where they would attack.
"Afraid of the enemy and cowardice, pull them down and behead them in public."
Zhu Xieyuan immediately launched a ruthless attack. This time he was able to break through Hanzhong City and capture the leader of the yellow-robed thieves, Su He.
He can also commit crimes and make meritorious deeds, and have a good ending.
Once he was blocked here in Hanyin, the thieves in yellow attacked the city and occupied Sichuan.
He is the sinner of the Ming Dynasty, and Emperor Chongzhen will not let him go.
Zhu Xieyuan must force these arrogant and domineering generals.
Teng Jiayan screamed miserably: "I am a third-rank official. Only the emperor can deal with me. You have no right to deal with me.
You are abusing your power, I will wait for you below."
The soldiers came up, covered the mouths of the two men, and dragged them out.
Zhu Xieyuan looked at the other generals in the camp and said in a cold tone: "Everyone restrain their subordinates. If anyone dares to fear the enemy and fight cowardly, these two people are your role models."
All the generals felt a chill on their necks. The governor was serious about it.
Zhu Xieyuan led the generals out of the camp and asked them to lead the troops to attack the yellow-clothed thieves' position.
He believed that with his own strength, as long as the soldiers used their lives, they would definitely be able to break through the defense line of the thieves in yellow.
The Ming army numbered 150,000, which is a figure on paper, and many generals were paid empty wages.
However, Zhu Xieyuan calculated the food consumption and found that the total number of troops he commanded was at least 100,000.
The yellow-robed thieves only have more than 10,000 troops, and they are still stationed throughout Hung Yen Prefecture.
Even the areas close to Xi'an Prefecture were sent to garrison with troops.
Zhu Xieyuan received accurate information that there were less than 10,000 yellow-clad thieves opposite him.
Besieged with ten times the military strength, and led by him, a veteran on the battlefield, Zhu Xieyuan believed that he would definitely win.
It's just that the casualties will be larger. For the sake of the Ming Dynasty, it is a very cost-effective thing to kill more military households.
…
Su Hu picked up the telescope and saw the Ming army launching an attack in front of their position.
Qu Xiangyang said in surprise: "Not long ago, the Ming army brought Hongyi cannon.
I thought the Ming army would have to wait at least ten days before launching an attack."
Qin Xiangkun said with great certainty: "I received accurate information from internal intelligence that the Ming army did not transport Hongyi cannons here.
Their army only has small cannons such as the Crouching Tiger Cannon, but no Hongyi cannons used for attacking fortresses."
"Chief of Staff Qin, this can't be done!
Zhu Xieyuan is also a veteran on the battlefield. He dared to send troops to attack our position without artillery cover.
Then these soldiers are just targets. Let alone these 100,000 people, even if we give them another 100,000 soldiers, they still can't capture our position."
Qu Xiangyang asked very puzzledly.
He saw the power of artillery when the Ming army vanguard attacked the position last time.
He is mainly responsible for military life, chatting with soldiers and telling them stories.
From the soldiers' chats, he learned about the thoughts of ordinary soldiers.
The army was reduced by 20 to 30%. When the soldiers saw their companions dying around them, the army's fighting will dropped sharply.
The casualties in the army reached 40 to 50%, and the soldiers in their army had the idea of escape.
This is because they pay attention to the treatment of soldiers. The treatment of military households in the Ming Dynasty was very poor.
The casualties caused by the collapse of an army composed of these people will definitely be higher than that of their army.
Su Hu watched the Ming army approaching with a smile on his face.
"Master Qu Zhu, it is because Zhu Xieyuan is a veteran on the battlefield that he will attack directly.
This person's military thinking is outdated, and they still follow the previous experience that has always worked.
You won’t change your mind until you suffer a major blow.”
"Guard, give the signal, fire."
…
When Zhu Xieyuan saw the army dispatched in an orderly manner, the oppressive feeling of more than 100,000 troops made the thieves in yellow panic.
He suddenly saw a large sheet of white smoke rising from the yellow-clothed thief's position, covering the entire position with thick smoke.
Then bursts of loud noises reached his ears.
There were hundreds of artillery pieces in total, firing at their position.
Wherever the cannonball passed, there were traces of blood plowed out.
The casualties among the soldiers were not large, but everyone was frightened by the momentum.
Zhu Xieyuan did not stop the attack, but let the drum beat louder and let the army continue to attack.
The army rushed to a place three to four hundred meters ahead of the yellow-clothed thieves' position.
The gunfire from the yellow-robed bandits' position was not as shocking as before.
However, the shotgun shells fired by these cannons caused greater casualties to military households.
Military households fell in droves, and the cannons of the thieves in yellow seemed to be endless, firing continuously.
The fort behind the yellow thief's position is also very regular, and will fire again every other incense stick or so.
Even if the army rushes to the front of the yellow-clothed thieves' position.
The muskets of the thieves in yellow also opened fire, and the dense muskets harvested the lives of military households.
The generals of the Ming army continued to urge the offensive, but the rank-and-file officers were unwilling.
Companions around him kept dying, and there was no hope of victory at all.
The servants all turned and ran away.
When Zhu Xieyuan saw the army collapse, he directly executed the generals who failed to fight effectively.
After the army rested for a day, they continued the attack.
The Ming army was defeated again and returned. Zhu Xieyuan saw that the generals looked wrong. He knew that if he continued to suppress them, a mutiny would easily occur.
Zhu Xieyuan could only agree that they would try to attack again when the Hongyi artillery from Huguang arrived.
…
When Su Hu saw the Ming army stop attacking, he laughed loudly and said: "We completed the task perfectly, but the Ming army suffered too many casualties and they no longer dared to attack with all their troops.
Zhu Xieyuan had to wait at least half a month for the Hongyi cannon.
What's more, I will do everything possible to delay the transportation of the Ming Army's Hongyi artillery.
I don’t ask for how many Ming troops I can kill, as long as I can stop the Ming troops here, it will be a victory for us."
Su Hu immediately contacted the internal agent and asked the internal agent to find a way to obtain the transportation time and route of the Ming Army's Hongyi cannon.