The east is slightly white, and thick morning mist covers the earth, as if it is wearing a milky white wedding dress, covering up its soul-stirring grace.
Zhu Yixi woke up from her sleep when she heard the gurgling sound of a car.
"What time is it?"
Lifting the curtain, Zhu Yixi looked out and saw that the army looked like a long dragon, holding torches and dotting the stars in the thick fog.
Through the light of the fire, one could vaguely see the weeds covered with thick frost on the roadside, which were particularly silky and thick.
Looking up, there were no people on both sides of the official road, and it was very deep.
"Your Majesty, it's already three o'clock in the morning."
Sun Xuan'er hurriedly gathered her long legs, combed his long hair, glanced at his towering crotch, and thoughtfully brought the urinal.
Zhu Yixi didn't feel embarrassed either. The huge king's car was very spacious and he could stand or lie down freely. He stood up and opened the gate to release the water, saying at the same time:
"It's almost the winter solstice! It hasn't snowed yet."
Having said this, he couldn't help but frown.
The twenty-four solar terms are considered as the guideline.
But now that the light snow and heavy snow have passed, there is still no snow in Nanyang, which is unusual.
During this Little Ice Age, the climate was very abnormal, which had an extremely important impact on the war.
For example, last year's Sun Chuanting was in Runing. Continuous heavy rains blocked the food route and put him in a tight siege. Li Zicheng used his troops to consume little by little, leading to a major defeat.
At this time, he had left Xiangyang, passed through Nanyang, and was going to Yuzhou to inspect the situation of Fangcheng Bastion.
Finally, wait for the opportunity.
"Let Zhu Mou, Chen Yongfu, You Shiwei and Zhu Meng come over."
While washing, His Highness Prince Yu gave instructions softly.
Thirteen, who was very young and sleepy-eyed, got the order from outside the carriage and hurried away.
Taking advantage of this time, Sun Xuan'er tidied up, and Prince Yu also changed into regular clothes.
"I humble myself to pay my respects to Your Highness!"
"come in!"
From the freezing cold to the warm Wang Jia, several people's faces couldn't help but feel much more relaxed.
Sitting cross-legged, Zhu Yixi asked a few people to relax, and then asked: "Have you taken off your winter clothes?"
"Your Highness, we have all been sent."
Zhu Mou nodded hurriedly and emphasized: "The soldiers and horses in Nanyang have already changed into winter clothes, and the other brothers have changed into winter clothes in Xiangyang."
"Yeah?"
King Yu looked calm and said casually: "If I find a soldier who froze to death, I will investigate to the end."
"Your Highness, don't worry."
Zhu Mou hurriedly confirmed: "In addition to cotton-padded jackets, I also put boots with wooden teeth on the soldiers and hoods on their heads."
"Those who had no clothes to cover them were all rubbed with lard, and there were very few chilblains."
The hood, as the name suggests, is a hat that blocks the wind. There are curtains on the left and right sides of the face, similar to the Japanese butt curtain hats during the Anti-Japanese War. It existed as early as the Tang and Song Dynasties.
This is the advantage of having a base. Whether it is shoes, socks, hats, or lard, they can all be collected smoothly, and productivity is guaranteed.
These things are all handed over to Shaanxi businessmen and purchased from the private sector. They not only make extra money for the people, but also invigorate the economy.
Wooden boards, fabrics, pork, timber, textiles, and breeding, these three major industries, are booming again because of Qin Jun's purchases.
"Well, I'm interested."
King Yu nodded with satisfaction, then looked at Chen Yongfu and asked: "Has the fortress in Fangcheng been repaired?"
Chen Yongfu looked at the unfathomable aura of King Yu, and of course he knew that this was not only about the fortress, but also the entire Fangcheng defense line.
"The twelve fortresses were built with soil and cement according to your instructions."
After secretly glancing at Prince Yu and seeing a smile on his face, Chen Yongfu breathed a sigh of relief and came to the key point.
He hurriedly continued: "The fortresses are all sloped and angular, which is very different from the neat city before."
"Furthermore, according to your instructions, a slope was built in front of the city. Even the red-coated cannon is difficult to maneuver."
The so-called fortress is a bastion, which changes from a square city wall to a polygonal city wall, forming depressions to relieve the power of artillery.
The polygonal city wall, trenches, and trapezoidal slopes were added to construct the so-called bastion.
Specifically designed for artillery.
It was also Zhu Yixi who arranged it with the Manchu red cannon.
"Have you tried it?"
Suddenly, Prince Yu's smile faded and he asked hurriedly.
"Humble job, humble job don't dare!"
Chen Yongfu was choked and didn't know what to say for a while.
"When I built the city, there was no test firing of red cannons. As the saying goes, true knowledge comes from practice. This time, we just brought the red cannons to see the effect."
King Yu's voice changed, and Chen Yongfu breathed a sigh of relief.
Everyone else became curious.
They had never seen a city that could defend against red cannons, and it was so weird.
"This time when we go north to Henan, we will face slaves or bandits. Where should we station our troops?"
King Yu suddenly changed the topic to strategy.
"Can be stationed in Xiangcheng."
Chen Yongfu hurriedly explained: "Near Xiangcheng, it was once an important place for thieves to lure Governor Sun. Many castles were built, and we can take advantage of them."
"In addition, Xiangcheng is located in Kaifeng Prefecture, with Ruzhou Prefecture to the west and Nanyang Prefecture to the south. It is located at the intersection of the three prefectures. It can be attacked when advancing and defended when retreating."
"The general agrees." You Shiwei also nodded.
"Is it too far from Luoyang?"
Zhu Yixi looked at the crude map and felt quite unhappy.
The maps drawn by the ancients were just not accurate, and they were also messy, with north going down and south going up, and vice versa.
It is drawn from the north to the south.
Thinking of this, he eagerly wanted to introduce Western map-making skills.
It’s too troublesome to teach in person.
Simply put, whether it is Li Zicheng or the Manchu Qing Dynasty, it is the same, the three parties have a starting line.
"Your Highness, the intruder is in Luoyang now. He was too close and was misunderstood by him. When Jiannu didn't come, we started fighting."
Chen Yongfu opened his mouth to explain.
"Okay, it's in Xiangcheng, and supplies are more convenient."
Zhu Yixi nodded. Although he was a little conservative, what he said made sense.
Relying on these bastions, it is possible to advance and attack, but it is more than enough to retreat and defend.
Two days later, an army of 60,000 troops arrived in Yuzhou, which is near Xia Road in Fangcheng.
There is a hilly area hundreds of miles wide between Funiu Mountain and Tongbai Mountain.
Among them, Fangcheng Mountain is in the middle and is the highest. All roads were developed during the Xia Dynasty, so it is called Fangcheng Xia Road.
After getting off the carriage, Zhu Yixi looked up and saw a fortress.
The thick fog dissipated, and to the eyes of the people at the time, a strange-shaped city wall stood at a mountain pass.
The bastion is in the center and closely monitors the mountain pass, which can be said to be the key point.
When he first saw this castle with many edges and corners, Liu Tingjie couldn't help but want to laugh, but he still held it back: "This fortress is really strange."
Chen Yongfu couldn't help but say: "Although this fortress looks quite ugly, the earth, cement, and masonry used are all first-class. It is even better than Xiangyang City."
“It’s empty talk, but you still have to give it a try!”
Zhu Yixi looked at the fortress in front of her and said coldly.