Chapter 25 The troops are approaching Haozhou City!
"Hmph! There are only three thousand red scarf thieves who dare to attack Haozhou. They are looking for death! Guo Zixing, Sun Deya and others in the city have always been dishonest. If they go out to fight, if Guo Zixing and the others raise their troops to rob the city, then they will
It’s all over.”
Luo Wenqing had served as an official in many places, and had killed many rebels, big and small. He could be described as rich in experience, mature and prudent.
"Mabao!" Luo Wenqing ordered.
"The general is here!" the general responded immediately.
"I will give you five hundred elite soldiers. You will patrol and set up defenses in the city. No one is allowed to go out and walk around. Anyone who disobeys the order will be killed! Focus on Guo Zixing and Sun Deya." Luo Wenqing ordered.
"Sir, please rest assured, we will keep a close eye on you!" Ma Bao immediately followed the order.
Luo Wenqing gave another order to another general.
"Wang Tianba!"
"The end is here!" Wang Tianba, a bearded man, responded.
"I will leave the defense of Haozhou to you. No matter how provocative the red scarf thieves are, you will not be allowed to leave the city. Daruhuachi Timur is only half a month away from Haozhou. I will immediately send someone out of the city to deliver a message and mobilize reinforcements.
Wait until reinforcements arrive, and then work together to annihilate these thieves!"
"Don't worry, sir, even if the thief kidnaps my mother, I will never leave the city even half a step!" Wang Tianba said, patting his chest.
Luo Wenqing's series of arrangements can be said to be very appropriate.
First, stabilize the situation in the city. As long as Haozhou City is stable, Guo Zixing, Sun Deya and others in the city will not dare to take the lead.
Then they stood still and waited for reinforcements.
Zhu Chongba's red scarf thieves did not have a numerical advantage, and they did not seem to have the heavy equipment to attack the city. As long as the Haozhou defenders did not leave the city to fight, they could defend until the food reserves were exhausted.
The government's grain reserves in Haozhou can last for half a year!
Not to mention half a year, it only takes half a month for Daruhuachi Timur's five thousand Mongolian cavalry to reach the outside of Haozhou City.
At that time, Zhu Chongba had no other choice but to die.
Luo Wenqing, the magistrate of Haozhou, arranged for two generals to deploy and control the city defense, and then returned to the government office.
First, he arranged for capable soldiers to break out and ask for reinforcements with his own handwritten letter.
Later, orders were issued to ask Haozhou residents to carry wood and stones to the bottom of the city wall. These items could be used to hit the red scarf thieves who climbed the city wall, and they could also be used to block the city wall when it was breached.
Although Luo Zhizhou felt that it was impossible for Zhu Chongba and other red scarf thieves to break through the gaps in the city wall or the city gate, it was always good to be prepared.
In addition, Luo Wenqing also collected hundreds of cauldrons and ordered the people to boil hot water under the city wall. Once the red scarf thieves attacked the city, they would be scalded to death with boiling water.
The rest of the chores of carrying grain, arrows, and flying stones were arranged in an orderly manner by Luo Wenqing.
Guo Zixing, Sun Deya and others in Haozhou City first heard that the Red Scarf Army was coming, and they were ready to raise troops to respond.
However, no movement of siege was heard for a long time, and the officers and soldiers in the city were patrolling the city in an orderly manner, so Guo Zixing and others had to hold back for the time being.
Outside Haozhou City.
After Zhu Chongba arrived, he immediately dispatched troops and horses to control the city gate exit, but it was still a step too late. At least three Haozhou army cavalry broke out.
As for what they were going for, I could tell with my heel, they must have gone to ask for reinforcements.
Zhu Chongba knew that the attack on Haozhou must be as fast as possible!
Once the Mongolian reinforcements arrive from the outside, these three thousand people will be doomed.
"Qiwu, how to break the Haozhou city wall?" Zhu Chongba asked urgently.
Zhu Qiwu had just finished the survey and said to Zhu Chongba with a smile.
"Brother, if nothing happens, we can break through the Haozhou city wall in two days!"
"What? Two days?" Zhu Chongba was surprised and happy.
He originally thought that if he could break through the Haozhou City Wall in ten days, it would be a quick success.
He never expected that Zhu Qiwu only needed a day or two.
Zhu Qiwu nodded confidently and waved to the people behind him who were holding ? and iron picks.
"Hu Yiba, it's your turn to start work!"
Under Zhu Qiwu's order, Hu Yiba and others took tools and began to dig holes in the ground.
Hu Yiba and others are worthy of their ancestral craftsmanship, and their digging skills are first-rate.
The tunnels they dug were not only fast and neat, but also very stable.
Every once in a while, Hu Yiba and others will make a supported side hole to ensure safety.
"Master Jun, can you look at the entrance of this cave?"
Hu Yiba and others dug the tunnel entrance and asked Zhu Qiwu.
Zhu Qiwu took a look and saw that it was almost enough for an adult to bend down and walk in.
"As long as the coffin can be moved in, that's fine."
Zhu Qiwu pointed to the two coffins behind him and said to Hu Yiba and others.
"Don't worry, military lord, we've got it covered!"
Hu Yiba took one look at the coffin and had an idea in his mind.
They used to drill into caves every day to pry coffins, and they were already familiar with it.
Zhu Chongba next to him was a little confused when he saw the tunnel entrance.
"Qiwu, this tunnel is too small. It can't transport a few soldiers at all."
Now three thousand troops marched under Haozhou City.
Everything is ready, all we need is the east wind, and we are waiting for Zhu Qiwu to break through the Haozhou city wall.
However, the tunnel in front of me is unworthy no matter how you look at it!
"Brother, don't worry. I have prepared a large amount of gunpowder, enough to fill the two coffins. I just need to dig a tunnel and keep it safe to blow up the Haozhou city wall!" Zhu Qiwu said with great confidence.
Now that the army has arrived at the city, there is no need to hide it.
"Qiwu, is it really okay to just light the gunpowder like this?" Zhu Chongba said, still a little worried.
Since the beginning of the Mongolian-Song War, the practicality of various gunpowder weapons has greatly increased, and Zhu Chongba and others have long had experience in gunpowder weapons.
However, this was the first time Zhu Chongba had heard of the use of buried gunpowder to blow down city walls.
I don't know where my brother got this strange method from.
"Absolutely, brother, you can send more people over to help dig the soil and dig tunnels. The sooner they dig through, the sooner they can break through Haozhou City!" Zhu Qiwu said.
Using gunpowder to blow down city walls was not something Zhu Qiwu came up with out of thin air.
But it has been proved by countless successful cases in previous lives!
In history, Brother Zhu Yuanzhang spent a lot of manpower and material resources to build Yingtian Mansion, which is known as the most impregnable city in the world.
Such a strong city was blown up by the Taiping Army with a coffin filled with gunpowder during the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom period of the Qing Dynasty!
The gunpowder in Zhu Qiwu's hand had already been granulated, and its power was more than double that of ordinary gunpowder.
However, the Haozhou City Wall in front of us cannot be compared with the Yingtianfu City Wall in history.
As long as the coffin filled with gunpowder is transported to the bottom of the city wall, it will definitely succeed.
"Okay, let's send some more people over now!"
Zhu Chongba felt that he should still trust his brother.
