In Taoyuan County, Lu Xiangtong was leading a team of rural warriors to patrol the banks of the Yellow River.
Lu Xiangtong was a member of Nanzhi, and his cousin was Lu Xiangsheng, one of the most powerful men in the Ming Dynasty. As a civil servant, he could carry a machete into battle to kill the enemy.
Lu Xiangming is not as famous as his cousin Lu Xiangsheng, but his martial arts skills are also good and he is also tall and burly.
Pointing to the ice of the Yellow River, Lu Xiangtong said to the captain Xiangyong beside him: "Sanwang, take a few people down and cut open the ice near the river bank."
"Yes." Wu Sanwang, the captain of Xiangyong, immediately led the people down to the river.
After much effort, the ice surface of the Yellow River was finally cut open.
Wu Sanwang made a gesture with his hands, raised his head and said to Lu Xiangtong: "Sir, it's strange that the ice is one foot thick!"
"It's more than a foot thick!" Lu Xiangtong's face immediately fell. "With such a thick ice layer, even if tens of thousands of people stand on the ice, it probably won't collapse."
"In this way, Jiannu can launch an attack directly from the river."
"Then the more than 100 gun towers we spent nearly half a year building in the east, west, and south directions of the county will no longer be able to perform any defensive functions."
The terrain of Taoyuan County is slightly unique.
Because the location of Taoyuan County is as high as the Yellow River embankment and very close to the county seat, the Yellow River directly becomes the moat of Taoyuan County.
This has advantages but also disadvantages.
Lu Xiangtong said worriedly: "What should we do?"
Wu Sanwang said: "Sir, how about we evacuate all the village warriors into the county?"
"How can that be done?" Lu Xiangtong shook his head like a rattle, "The height of the city wall in Taoyuan County is only two feet. At this height, the slaves did not even need a ladder. They could climb up with a human ladder! So if there is no peripheral gun tower,
As for the defense, the low city wall of the county town alone cannot be defended, and it can only last for two or three days at best."
Wu Sanwang scratched his head and said: "Sir, maybe Jiannu will not come to attack Taoyuan County."
"Nonsense, you can't have such a fluke mentality." Lu Xiangtong said flatly, "If Jiannu cannot attack Xuzhou for a long time, he will inevitably divide his troops to detour to Huai'an Prefecture or Fengyang Prefecture. If they detour to Huai'an Prefecture, Suining County in China will be the first to be hit, and then follow up.
Down here is our Taoyuan County, so we must be prepared."
"But the problem is, this battle is really difficult to fight."
"No one could have imagined that the weather this spring would be so cold."
Wu Sanwang smiled bitterly: "Although the Yellow River froze in previous years, the ice layer was not so thick."
"I'll think about it again." Lu Xiangtong frowned and said, "I remember the Holy Father said that there are always more solutions than difficulties. As long as you think more, you can always come up with a solution..."
Before he finished speaking, Wu Sanwang suddenly shouted: "Sir, there is someone coming on the river!"
"Huh?" Lu Xiangtong suddenly looked up and saw a figure sliding over the river.
"Sir, it seems he is our courier. He is either coming from Pizhou or Suining..." Halfway through, Wu Sanwang suddenly shouted again, "He seems to be injured."
Lu Xiangtong also saw that this man's cotton armor was almost soaked with blood.
Needless to say, this person must be Wang Pohu. He narrowly escaped death from the arrows of three white-armored slave soldiers. He didn't dare to stop to bandage his wounds along the way, and even managed to slide to Taoyuan.
Seeing Lu Xiangtong, Wang Pohu secretly said that he was lucky.
I was originally worried that I wouldn't be able to enter the city, but unexpectedly I met Mr. Lu Xiangtong here.
Wang Pohu had been to Taoyuan County many times with Hua Xia, and was already very familiar with Lu Xiangtong and Wu Sanwang.
"Ah, it turns out to be brother Pohu!" Wu Sanwang also recognized Wang Pohu and hurried forward to greet him.
However, Wang Pohu was skating too fast and could not stop at all. Wu Sanwang was also brought down in an instant. The two of them slid on the ice for more than ten steps and stopped only after hitting the river bank.
When Lu Xiangtong rushed over, Wang Pohu was already as angry as a gossamer.
Niyaha's arrow actually did not hit the vital point. It only penetrated Wang Pohu's right shoulder blade.
If he could find a doctor to bandage the wound in time, his right arm would probably be useless, but saving his life would not be a problem. However, Wang Pohu had a mission, so he couldn't even take care of it.
As a result, it lasted for an hour or two, and all the blood in my body was drained out.
"Sir, my lord asked me to come to Taoyuan to inform you..." Wang Pohu forcibly cheered up and said exactly what Hua Xia meant, and then he died.
The mission has been accomplished. Once the tense nerves are relaxed, the person will soon die.
Lu Xiangtong immediately sent the accompanying Xiangyong to select Xiangyong who had many poor children and was honest and good-natured.
Although I'm not sure whether China's method will work or not, I can only give it a try now.
After sending the local warriors to accompany him, Lu Xiangtong said to Wu Sanwang: "Sanwang, dig a hole with me and bury Brother Po Hu. Let's bury him by the Yellow River."
"Sir, let me do it."
Wu Sanwang quickly came over and grabbed the shovel.
"Ah!" Lu Xiangtong suddenly shouted.
Wu Sanwang was startled and lost his voice: "What's wrong, sir?"
Lu Xiangtong said anxiously: "Sanwang, do you know how to do ice tricks?"
"Yes." Wu Sanwang said blankly, "There is no one who grows up by the Yellow River who can't play with ice."
"That's great." Lu Xiangtong said hurriedly, "Hurry home and put on the ice lindens, then take the Yellow River waterway to Qinghe County and Huai'an Prefecture, and convey the letter sent by Brother Pohu to Qinghe County and Huai'an Prefecture.
Taxi."
"Yes." Wu Sanwang did not dare to neglect, and immediately turned around and ran back.
…
I have to say that ice riding is fast, much faster than riding a horse.
Wu Sanwang set off from Taoyuan County in the evening, arrived at Qinghe in the middle of the night, and then arrived outside Shanyang City early the next morning, where he happened to meet Yan Yingyuan and Mao Xiang who were inspecting the city defense.
After listening to Wu Sanwang's narration, Yan Yingyuan nodded and said he understood.
"Here comes someone." Yan Yingyuan said again, "Take Brother Sanwang back to the camp to drink some hot soup to warm up."
"My lord, it's no need." Wu Sanwang declined politely, "I have a mission, and I have to return to Taoyuan County quickly to resume my life."
Watching Wu Sanwang slip away quickly from the ice on lindens, Maoxiang asked: "Brother Jianheng, do you think the method sent by people from China will work?"
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! Yan Yingyuan said: "This tactic of China is undoubtedly a good tactic, but it is not suitable for Shanyang."
"Brother Jianheng, I don't understand this." Maoxiang asked puzzledly, "Why is it not suitable for us in Shanyang?"
Yan Yingyuan said: "The reason is very simple, because Suining County, Taoyuan County and Qinghe County are useless to the slave-building army. They are tasteless and it is a pity to abandon them. However, we in Shanyang are not."
"Weak ribs?" Maoxiang nodded, remembering this allusion from the Three Kingdoms period.
Yan Yingyuan added: "So Huaxia, Lu Xiangtong and the others can recruit dead soldiers from the rural braves, and use these dead soldiers to fight against Jiannu. Jiannu realizes the price to pay for taking Suining, Taoyuan and Qinghe County.
The benefits will be far greater than what can be gained from it, so we are not willing to waste time and troops in those small counties."
"I understand." Maoxiang nodded, "But compared to Suining, Taoyuan and Qinghe County, Huai'an Prefecture Shanyang is a big piece of meat, because Shanyang is not only the residence of the Hecao Governor's Yamen, but also the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
One of the inner warehouses is also in Shanyang, and the richest Jin gentry in Huai'an Prefecture is also in Shanyang City!"
"That's right." Yan Yingyuan sighed, "So China's tactics are useless to us."
Maoxiang paused and said, "I don't know when the second batch of bird cannons and squatting tiger cannons from the arsenal will be shipped to Shanyang?"
As a prefectural city in Huai'an, Shanyang's treatment is still different from that of small counties such as Suining, and it can be equipped with additional squatting tiger cannons and bird cannons.
However, because the production capacity of the Ming Dynasty Arsenal cannot keep up, only half of the 2,000 bird cannons and 100 tiger squatting cannons originally planned to be supplied to Shanyang Xiangyong have been delivered.
"We can't wait for that." Yan Yingyuan said, "The canal is frozen and all water transport has been suspended. The arsenal can only load the cannons and tiger squatting roars on dry roads, so don't say it's ten days and a half, it's two months.
They may not be able to arrive. By that time, the Jiannu troops have already arrived at the city, so don’t expect the second batch of bird cannons and tiger cannons."
Maoxiang became more and more worried, frowned and said, "What should we do now?"
"When soldiers come, they will be defeated, and when water comes, the soil will submerge. When the time comes, we will take advantage of it." Yan Yingyuan seemed calm and composed, "The Holy One once said that there are always more solutions than difficulties. As long as you think about it, you will definitely find a solution."
Speaking of this meal, he added: "As for the present, we just need to store as much materials as possible, including gunpowder, lime, rolling stones, and even gold juice. We can store as much as we can! There are also sulfur, fire, salt, firewood, rice, straw, and wheat straw.
When it comes to igniting things, we should send troops to collect as many as possible, and by the way, we should also reserve more wood."
As for food, there is no need to worry, there are millions of stones of food stored in Shanyang Treasury.
Therefore, even if Jiannu besieged the city for a year, Shanyang City would not have to worry about the shortage of food.
Maoxiang made Yan Yingyuan even more nervous when he spoke, as if Jian Nu had already arrived at the city and a war had broken out.
When Yan Yingyuan saw this scene, he smiled and persuaded: "Brother Pijiang, there is no need to be nervous. In short, we will try our best to hold on to Shanyang. As for the final result, can we hold on? That will be decided by God. I will
When a scholar acts, he must be worthy of his mission, worthy of the Ming Dynasty, and worthy of the common people of the world."
The implication is to do your best and accept the final result regardless of the outcome.
After hearing Yan Yingyuan's words, Maoxiang suddenly understood. Yes, what's the use of worrying and being nervous? Just do your best and have a clear conscience.
At that moment, Maoxiang said: "Brother Jianheng, I am responsible for raising various supplies, and I leave the city defense deployment to you, because you have fought against pirates in Jiangyin, and you have more experience than me in this regard."
Yan Yingyuan said happily: "Okay, then I'll do the hard work, Brother Bijiang."
"Well, we are all working for the Ming Dynasty and for the common people of the world, so why bother?" After Maoxiang finished speaking, he turned around and left in a hurry, while Yan Yingyuan turned his eyes to the canal.
