Outside Yingzhou City on the Dalong border, Young Master Liu took off his armor, holding a pickaxe in his hand and digging a pit on the flat land outside the city. His clothes were already wet with sweat.
Got a piece.
Beside him were Song Qing and Zhang Kuang who were also wet with sweat.
Zhang Kuang used the pickaxe to hammer his waist, looking at the thousands of Longwu Guard soldiers around him who were also digging pits.
"Mingzhi, is the mine you mentioned really useful? It makes the brothers as disgraced as the farmers. It would be very uncomfortable if it didn't work well."
Young Master Liu, who was working hard, straightened up, picked up the wine bottle at his waist and took a big sip.
"Uncle, don't worry. As long as these mines are used effectively, they can eliminate thousands of enemy troops at least. They are no less powerful than artillery shells, and they are more secretive. When one is unexpected, a mine explodes into a large mass of corpses.
"
Zhang Kuang's eyes lit up, he let go of the pickaxe and grabbed Young Master Liu by the collar: "You bastard, why didn't you take out these good things earlier? Otherwise, I would have killed more than 100,000 brothers in the last national war?
"
The corner of Young Master Liu's mouth twitched and he slapped away his arrogant palm: "Uncle, don't go too far. You are just a prince who dares to touch me. Be careful that I wear small shoes for you."
"You think I don't want to get more? The key is that I don't have money!"
"If I had that ability and kept the money, I would get you two atomic bombs and bring about world peace. The key is that I don't have that ability."
"All the wealth I have accumulated over the years has been spent on these things. It would be nice to be able to get some out of it."
Zhang Kuang looked at Young Master Liu rolling his eyes and smiled angrily. He spat into the palm of his hand and picked up the pickaxe to continue digging.
"Boy, I understand you. The main reason is that my uncle also loves the soldiers very much. You must know that even if they talk about this, you are no better than me."
"At least I sent my brothers' bones back. You still have 30,000 brothers lying on the border of the Kingdom of Jin, with their bones buried in a foreign land!"
Liu Mingzhi paused in his swing of the pickaxe and nodded with red eyes.
"Yes, before we withdrew, I promised them that I would take them home. I don't know when I will be able to fulfill my promise. I don't know how long this war will last. One year, two years or more, I don't know what.
That’s when the time comes.”
Zhang Kuang glanced at the Longwu Guard soldiers not far away and sighed.
"Be prepared for a protracted war. I have been in the army for more than 30 years. The longest war lasted for five years. At first, there were 50,000 brothers under my command, but less than 5,000 are still alive."
"The camp is made of iron, the soldiers are flowing, and new people are replacing the old ones."
"For more than thirty years, I have personally sent away nearly 200,000 brothers. Watching them die in front of me one by one makes me feel uncomfortable, but what can I do?"
"As a soldier, I have long expected this day. Maybe this time, I will be able to reunite with my original old brothers. I really want to see them and say sorry to them. Brother, I made a mistake. It's okay.
We went together and returned together, but I survived for more than twenty years."
Liu Mingzhi listened to Zhang Kuang's words with a choked voice, raised his eyes and glanced at Zhang Kuang: "Uncle, don't feel bad. Those seniors know that there are brothers who are watching this prosperous age for them. There are spirits in the sky who don't know.
How happy it would be."
"Human, this generation only lasts thirty-six thousand days. There are always so many dissatisfactions. Just look away. There is nothing you can do if you don't look away."
"Don't always think about unpleasant things. Your seniors are still watching you in the sky to protect your family and country on their behalf. For the wishes of those seniors, you should work harder to live."
He wiped the corners of his eyes arrogantly and without leaving any trace: "Yes, the brothers are still watching me in the sky. If the country that the brothers fight to protect is lost, I will have no face to see them."
"Even if I die, I have to die on the battlefield. I can't let my brothers look down on me."
"Put on iron armor and conquer all directions."
"Holding the halberd, you are a good man."
"Protect the homeland and the country"
Zhang Kuang hummed an ancient war song softly, and his voice gradually became louder. Gradually, ancient war songs with great vigor were heard all around him.
Then the soldiers on the city wall also joined in, and in an instant, impassioned singing was everywhere inside and outside Yingzhou, and the singing revealed the determination to regard death as home.
Liu Mingzhi straightened up and listened quietly to the deafening singing. Perhaps this was the soul of an army.
It was the same thing when he led his troops to conquer the Western Regions. Liu Mingzhi put down the pickaxe in his hand and walked away.
Stopping on the high slope, Liu Mingzhi looked to the north of Shanhaiguan.
Song Qing didn't know when he walked up to Liu Mingzhi: "Commander, are you worried about the scout brothers?"
Liu Mingzhi nodded silently and looked up at the sky: "Supposedly, the scouts should have sent the message half an hour ago, but now there is no movement at all. I have no idea at all."
As soon as Liu Dashao finished speaking, a horse riding Juechen crossed Shanhaiguan and galloped towards the outside of Yingzhou City. The smoke and dust raised behind the horse showed how fast the horse was.
Liu Mingzhi's face was filled with joy and he clapped his hands together: "Cao Cao will be here soon, that's great."
As soon as Liu Mingzhi finished speaking, the scout from the north reined his horse tightly and stopped in front of Mr. Liu. The horse's hooves were raised high. Before it even landed, the scout flexibly turned over and dismounted. He took out a bamboo tube from behind and held it up to Mr. Liu.
In front of the young man.
"Report, urgent paperwork for sixty-six hundred miles."
Liu Mingzhi looked at the scout whose body was crumbling, took the bamboo tube from the scout's hand, and supported the scout: "Good brother, thank you for your hard work."
"Vice General Song, take him down quickly to rest."
"yes!"
Song Qing opened the Water Margin and handed it to the scout, then helped him find a place to rest. Liu Mingzhi hurriedly took out the paper in the bamboo tube and started reading.
Looking at the contents on the rice paper carefully, Liu Mingzhi sighed with a complicated expression.
"After all, we have joined forces. It seems that this war will be difficult. I don't know how much it will cost to defend the country."
"Report, six hundred miles of urgent paperwork."
While Young Master Liu was muttering to himself, another group of scouts came speeding up.
Liu Mingzhi took the scout's letter and read it as usual. When he saw the contents of the document, Young Master Liu's face froze. He handed the Water Margin to the scout and rushed towards Yingzhou.
"Brother, have a good rest!"
"Thank you, Marshal!"
Liu Mingzhi grabbed Zhang Kuang who was digging a hole and walked towards the city gate.
"You bastard, what are you doing?"
"Go back to your Chinese army tent and look at the sand table."
After half a stick of incense, Young Master Liu pointed his finger on the sand table.
Zhang Kuang looked at the situation: "Talu River, isn't this the place where one of your troops is stationed? What do you mean by telling me this?"
Liu Mingzhi handed the document to Zhang Kuang and tapped his fingers heavily on the sand table.
"The first batch of grain and grass from the Kingdom of Jin will be transported to Shanhaiguan in three days. From the Tulu River to the official road from the Kingdom of Jin to Shanhaiguan, my commander's cavalry can rush down in less than an hour."
"The grain and grass transported by the Turks from the Sulu tribe to Yunzhou also have to bypass the Muling River, a tributary to the north of the Tulu River."
"The soldiers and horses have to go ahead with the food and fodder. It will take at least about a day for the food transport team to travel from the main army behind."
"This is what I was guarding when I stationed troops at Tulu River. The terrain here is open and one hundred thousand cavalry can be spread out effortlessly. It can be said that we can advance, attack, retreat and defend."
"They have learned that we are determined to defend the city. They would never have imagined that I would have the courage to station an army of soldiers and horses at the Talu River adjacent to the Kingdom of Jin and the Turks."
"Perhaps I can take advantage of Ning Chao and Duan Buxin to give the vanguard forces of the two countries a show of strength and destroy their supplies before their troops are exposed."
Zhang Kuang stared at the map and pondered for a while, shaking his head.
"I don't agree. It's too risky. Even though it's a food transport team, there will still be a large number of elite defenders. Once entangled by them, when the main army encircles them, the entire army will be annihilated."
"We agreed to defend the city, why are you thinking about taking the initiative to attack again?"
"Shuai Liu, wake up. Today is different from the past. Our military strength no longer allows us to take the initiative to attack. Using defense as an offense is the clearest course of action."
"If we defend the city, our casualties will be two to three times lower than the enemy's. In this case, why must we exploit our shortcomings and avoid our strengths?"
Liu Mingzhi closed his eyes and pondered for a moment, shaking his head slightly.
"Uncle, using offense as defense may not be a type of defense."
"I always believe that offense is the best defense."
"Now they all think that we are hiding in the city and dare not challenge. In this case, I will use a surprise move and a dangerous move."