This light snowfall at the beginning of the eleventh lunar month in the ninth year of Jianyan was insignificant in terms of the natural changes of nature, and it did not have any direct change in the war situation that was now in full swing.
However, regardless of civil and military affairs, regardless of East and West, regardless of Song and Jin Dynasties, almost all people of insight have realized that this snow is enough to be an omen.
A crisis is brewing.
However, before the crisis came, under the gloomy winter weather, on this afternoon after snow, Daming City took the lead in welcoming hundreds of Song Army elite cavalry from the east. The leading cavalry held a field high.
Zi Qi, with another Zhang Zi Qi behind him, came to the front of the city and exchanged some questions. The people of Daming City did not dare to neglect after a little inspection of their identity, so they also opened the city gate wide and immediately let the hundreds of horses in.
The two leaders among the visitors were none other than Tongtian Shizhong, the deputy capital of the Imperial Camp Right Army. They had previously served in the imperial camp's former army, but were pushed back to the imperial camp's right army by Yue Fei's initiative. Now they lead the army.
Zhang Zigai, who carried the Wei army on his back.
When the two of them entered Daming City, they were greeted by Wang Gui, deputy commander of the Imperial Army's former army, and Tang Huai, commander of the Chinese army, who had heard the news.
"Tian Dutong." Tang Huai was not good at words, but Wang Gui greeted him face to face. "Is the road going smoothly?"
"I am the deputy capital commander, and the commander-in-chief is my family." Tian Shizhong immediately corrected him coldly. "The road was fine, but when we came near here, we encountered a little trouble... Why are there so many logging teams?
, almost blocking the road?”
"The military order issued directly by the marshal started on the second day after the city was breached. It has not stopped, and we did not ask. Anyway, the more fortifications, boards and other things, the better." Wang Gui knew that the other party liked to pretend to be cold, so he did not
I care about the other person's tone and just explain casually.
"That's true." Tian Shizhong just asked casually, and then pointed to a two-sided scroll that could be seen far away in the west of the city. "Has Zhang Dutong arrived?"
"We're here. I'm with my Marshal around the water gate in the west of the city. He said that when Deputy Tian arrives, he will invite him over directly." After greetings, Wang Gui didn't say much and directly gave guidance.
Hearing this, Tian Shizhong frowned more and more, but in the end he didn't ask any more questions. He just asked Zhang Zigai to take his subordinates and Tang Huai to use some hot soup, while he hurried away with Wang Gui.
Meet Yue and Zhang.
After crossing the two big banners and arriving near the water gate in the west of the city, I didn't see many flags or high-ranking officers. There was only a hot air balloon with a tiger face painted on it that had already been inflated. It was originally raised in one place.
The rammed earth platform that was two to three feet high was shaking slightly, as if it was ready. Yue and Zhang, dressed in homely clothes, were also standing next to the hot air balloon. When they saw Tian Shizhong and Wang Gui coming over, they were even more excited.
He raised his hand and immediately turned over and jumped into the big basket.
These days, there are many idle people who dare to float around in hot air balloons, and this kind of tethered hot air balloons needless to say. Tian Shizhong understood and had nothing to avoid. Just to prevent overheating, he hurriedly removed the outer armor
, then he and Wang Gui followed and jumped into the basket.
Immediately, under the command of the famous commander Bei Yanbei, the soldiers below carefully helped remove the counterweight and released the rope with hinges. However, they only dared to let the hot air balloon rise another four to five feet, and the ropes on all sides were not in contact with it.
The turrets on all sides of the platform and the trees were well tied up... It seems that they are still worried that something will happen. When the time comes, the four generals from Hebei will be killed with a basket, and all the luck of the Northern Expedition will be leaked.
However, this height is enough.
After all, this kind of stable and generous elevated observation tower is not comparable to the narrow and cramped wooden observation tower. The four people took out the crystal telescopes given by the emperor in the basket, and each looked at the surrounding military camps, roads, rivers, and markets.
, the trees are clearly visible, especially the layout in Yuancheng opposite Daming City. At this time, it has lost the cover of the four-foot-high city wall, and the interior layout is almost unobstructed.
Even, they could clearly see through the telescope that the Jin Army in Yuancheng was pointing at the rising hot air balloon, and they seemed to be used to it.
Yes, one more thing must be said here. Daming City, which gave Daming Mansion its name, is not the capital of Daming Mansion now. Yuancheng, across the water, is the current capital of Daming Mansion, which is the so-called traditional sense of the Song Dynasty.
'Beijing City'.
The reason for this change is no longer clear.
However, judging from the geographical situation that Tian Shizhong and others were watching from a high position at this time, this migration of urban subjects seemed to be natural - Yuancheng on the other side of the river is located in the narrowest area in the middle of the fork of the North Yellow River, directly adjacent to the east
The fork of the Yellow River is only about ten miles away from the other fork to the west. In addition to the Yongji Canal that passes through the western river and turns north at Damingfu, the three waterways passing through Damingfu almost run through the entire Hebei area.
This made this place a natural transportation gathering point in the Hebei region under the territorial state before the Song Dynasty.
In comparison, the Daming City at our feet, which the Song Army occupied just over ten days ago, is more like a functional companion city on the opposite side because it only guards a waterway to the east of Yuancheng.
Even more than ten miles east of Daming City, next to another fork of the Yellow River, there is an old town. Some people say that was where the original city of Daming Prefecture was.
Without further ado, Tian Shizhong looked at the basket for a while, then suddenly put away his telescope and pointed to a place on the opposite side in surprise: "Those are counterweight artillery carriages?!"
"Yes!" Yue Fei knew where the other party was pointing without even looking. "Twenty of them. It's been eight years since the Battle of Nanyang. How can we hide it? There are not only counterweight artillery carts on the opposite side, but also hot air balloons...
…”
"How come you didn't see it?" Tian Shizhong had just come back to his senses and asked in surprise.
"The Jin people know how to make artillery carts, and you can understand the principles of a counterweighted artillery car at a glance, but the hot air balloon is different." Wang Gui, who added a shovelful of charcoal to the furnace in the middle of the hot air balloon, laughed. "The enthusiasm of the Jin people is
The balloons were punctured and could not withstand burning. We came to Daming City for about ten days and released them here. Yuancheng across the street followed suit at the beginning. We released them three times and burned them twice. It seemed that there was still one left, but we were reluctant to release it again.
I guess it will be used during the siege."
"That's it." Tian Shizhong nodded, and then shook his head as if he suddenly realized. "That's not what I meant. What I originally meant was that the two cities are only separated by a river, only five or six hundred steps away.
What if they use clay bombs, or wooden bombs coated with gunpowder or oil? Wang Dutong, how dare you let the two Jiedu get into this basket?"
"No." Wang Gui quickly explained with a smile. "Not to mention whether they have that kind of wooden bullets, Tian Dutong has seen clearly that the gun emplacements on the opposite side are dead, and they are all aimed at the river... Besides,
Well, this hot air balloon flies up every day to see the military situation in the opposite city, and they have already seen it all. They don’t know that there is a big shot in this hot air balloon, so do they need to build a new artillery car specifically for sniping?"
Tian Shizhong was startled for a moment, then picked up the telescope and took a closer look. Sure enough, as Wang Gui said, the artillery position in Yuancheng, near the east port, was completely motionless, as if it had been fixed in advance. It had already been aimed at the river outside the city.
However, after Tian Shizhong saw it clearly, instead of relaxing, he became more serious. Because in his opinion, Gao Jingshan's arrangement was the right thing to do...lock the river to prevent Zhang Rong's navy from sneaking into the city from here. , and also to prevent Zhang Rong from repeating his old trick of occupying the river channel to lead the main force of the former army across the river... This is a strategic arrangement, and it is an absolutely useful arrangement.
Moreover, after fixing the gun positions, manpower can also be freed up, and only a few supervisory troops can be used to supervise civilians.
On the contrary, it would be unreasonable to point the artillery truck this way and hope to hit Daming City with two cannons, which is outside the effective range, and hope to get lucky.
"How?" Yue Fei spoke again, as if he was continuing Wang Gui's words just now.
"Difficult!" Tian Shizhong responded, but for some reason, he directly changed the topic to an inexplicable topic. "Marshal... Let me tell you something first. After the snow the day before yesterday, in a town called Sunsheng Town in the northeast of Xiajin County In this place, three thousand of our troops swept northward and encountered the Jin army. They were defeated directly and lost more than half...According to the description of the defeated soldiers, it should be the headquarters of Wang Bolong, a member of the Ten Thousand Households of the Jin Kingdom. Counting Wang Gang's previous defeat in Liaocheng, Li Baoshui made a reckless landing after the war, winning first and then losing. Although our side has made progress, we have already lost three battles."
Yue Fei frowned slightly when he heard this, without any extra expression, he just nodded in response.
Zhang Rong, on the other hand, finally stopped observing the surrounding area of the river. While carefully putting away the telescope, he couldn't help but ask on the spot: "I have heard of this Wang Bolong's name a long time ago. I only know that he is Wanhu of the East Route Army... …Should he be a Han Chinese? What is his origin?”
"Although Wang Bolong is a Han, he has always been living outside the Great Wall." Seeing that it was Zhang Rong who spoke, Yue Fei explained a little, but he opened his mouth with countless treasures, as if he knew them by heart. "In the second year after the founding of the Jin Kingdom, tens of thousands of people were gathered together. After Aguda was surrendered, he immediately became the hereditary Meng'an... However, at that time, there were many Liao thieves who surrendered gold, including Han people, Khitan people, Xi people, and Bohai people, but it was nothing... Only later , Twenty years after the First World War of the Jin Dynasty, all Aguda was dead, and these bandits had long since met their fate. Only Wang Bolong participated in the entire process of destroying the Liao Dynasty. He was the vanguard of the army, fighting all the way from Baihe to Tokyo City. His treatment, bravery, and bravery were all the same as those of the Jurchens. He also stood out and became the pillar of the Jin Army... In these years, he has been stationed in the Hejian Prefecture area, and because of He often went up first in person, so he was known as the most powerful general of the Eastern Route Army, even above Zhen Lubu."
Zhang Rong suddenly understood, and then sighed: "With such a person and soldiers, it is normal to lose in the wilderness... And the river is not directly north... The current situation is that Tiandu's subordinates are colliding with each other on the Qingshui side. superior."
"Both Jiedu, I'm not asking for favors." Tian Shizhong still looked unhappy. "Winning or losing is common in military affairs. If you lose, you will lose... The key is that Wang Bolong didn't go south before. Wouldn't it be right to go south now? Is it consistent with the military situation reported to the marshal before? The Jin army seems to have made a big decision and mobilized in large numbers, preparing to surround us from all sides."
"Yes." Yue Fei held on to the thick rope of the hot air balloon and spoke seriously. "A few days ago, there was a messenger from the Royal Cavalry in the upper reaches of the Yellow River, saying that the Jin Army in Longde Prefecture suddenly sent out a cavalry force of thousands to lock Taihangxing.
, pressing Huaizhou, seems to be worried about reinforcements coming from the east of the river; the Sentinel Cavalry has also recently discovered that there is a large-scale recruitment of troops on the other side of the river... It is said that they want to recruit 300,000 people... From this point of view, plus you collided in the northeast of Xiajin the day before yesterday
When you go to Wang Bolong, you basically know that the Jin army will attack in a large scale, and it is impossible to say that there will be 13 or 40,000 households!"
Master Tian had already expected this, but he couldn't help but change his expression at this moment.
"What's there to talk about?" Zhang Rong was a little impatient. "In the past few years, didn't the officials and the court make many plans? According to those calculations, eight out of ten times would be the result...
...It is indeed like this...Pengju, you called us here to formulate a response strategy, not to scare people."
"According to the official, there is nothing to discuss about the response strategy." Tian Shizhong shook his head. "In the past, the martial arts school and the Privy Council discussed various plans, and the official was fully aware of them. Now the Jin Army has dispatched the east and west to come together.
, with almost twice as many troops as me, and even more cavalry, we are almost unable to fight in the field. We can only find a line of defense to survive the winter when the rivers dry up and freeze, and then plan for the future..."
"That's right." Yue Fei responded calmly. "We can't win a field battle at all, and a wasteful battle will only ruin the overall situation... But how to defend? Where to defend? This is why I called Tian Dutong here today."
Tian Shizhong felt a little relieved, but then he seemed a little hesitant: "Marshal, General Shu Mo will bluntly say that if you want to maintain the situation at the moment, it is nothing more than to occupy the city, and if you want to do something after guarding the winter, what else can you do?
Dezhihe..."
"good."
"Here in Hebei, the Yellow River is divided into two forks and five forks. Counting from south to north, Damingfu is right in the middle of the third and fourth forks... We are equivalent to taking all the two forks of the east road, right in the second and third forks.
In between..."
"Why are you talking nonsense?" Zhang Rong couldn't bear to listen anymore. "Just talk about how to keep it when it freezes."
"Zhang Dutong, what your official is saying is that we are now between the East Road and the North Road of the Yellow River. The bifurcation around this famous city is only about ten miles wide. The farther back you go, the wider the gap becomes, especially after passing Xiajin, and even more.
It suddenly widens, and when you reach the seaside, it covers the entire Cangzhou, nearly three hundred miles from north to south... These days, the two of you are making progress here at the fork of the river, while my imperial right army is responsible for finishing the downstream, and the troops are spread across several states.
The land is really weak... The defeat of Sun Sheng this time is proof... The area between the second and third forks is really too wide. Without reinforcements, I'm afraid I won't even be able to defend Xia Jin face to face."
"You mean, we have to retreat?" Zhang Rong couldn't help but frown. "Where should we retreat?"
Tian Shizhong held on to the long rope next to the basket and looked at Yue Fei, but Yue Fei just let go of his arms and stood there, thoughtful and silent.
In desperation, Tian Shizhong didn't bother to make any more tricks and said the truth directly: "It's up to the two Jiedu to decide where to retreat, but the forces of the right army of the imperial camp are spread too wide. After the winter freezes, there is no way to retreat."
After the river is blocked, let alone continue to advance, even the current posture cannot be maintained... Otherwise, it is impossible to say that it will be divided and swept by the Jin army! According to the official's wishes, if we withdraw to the front line ten days ago, relying on the second
By setting up defenses along the fork road, we can more or less explain it to the DPRK and China... Just don’t take the half of the famous mansion you just got!"
Zhang Rong shook his head repeatedly: "We must not abandon Daming Mansion!"
Tian Shizhong was extremely speechless, but the opponent's official position was much higher than his own, and it was normal for a water general to not understand things on land, but he was too lazy to argue with the opponent, and just stared at Yue Fei.
Yue Fei leaned against the chest-high basket and was silent for a moment, and finally spoke calmly, but first he said to Zhang Rong: "Let me tell you a few things... First of all, the right army of the Imperial Camp has few soldiers, and now it is guarding Binzhou and Dizhou.
, Dezhou, Bozhou, plus the newly acquired half of Daming Prefecture, and more than a dozen cities, which fully demonstrated the advantages of dispersed troops. Once the river freezes and the river is blocked, and the Jin army gathers in large numbers, one cannot hold it at all, and the other
Then, even if the Jin army ignores it, the right army can only shrink in the city, unable to play any role in delaying the attack... It is indeed necessary to abandon some places, and they must abandon them early, so that they can free up their hands to use their strength in key places.
The commander-in-chief is well aware of the difficulties faced by the right army in the imperial camp and takes it very seriously."
"That's what I mean." Tian Shizhong hurriedly looked at him sincerely, but only Wang Gui in the big basket smiled at him.
Zhang Rong just shook his head.
"Secondly." Yue Feifu turned to Tian Shizhong again. "I know what Zhang Dutong meant. He is not trying to embarrass your right army. What he wants is to find some cities with water ports to protect during the period when the river is frozen.
The fleet... At the moment, the best places are actually the nearby Guzheng Town, Hanzhang Town upstream, and Shanghuxun... To protect these places, whether there is a famous city or not is not the same thing."
"It's not just my own fleet." Zhang Rong also seriously interjected and explained. "The key is that only with the fleet in hand will the Jin army be scrupulous and not dare to cross the river in a large scale, so that our navy will block their way out... So
, Generally speaking, from Shaoxing (Baima) to Puzhou, and then to Daming City at the foot of this bifurcated area, we must seize as many places as possible before the freeze."
Tian Shizhong also sighed.
In fact, he came to his senses after listening to Yue Fei's words halfway... He just complained about Zhang Rong, a rough man, for ignoring the difficulties of the imperial camp's right army, but he also forgot that the imperial camp's navy also had its own difficulties.
If the Jin army takes advantage of the freeze and the ship is burned and the ship is destroyed, not to mention how the Song army will find ways to invade Damingfu in the spring, even Tokyo will be in real danger.
You must know that the Jin army is not only locking the river on the east side of Daming Mansion, but also on the west side of the river, which is dozens of miles behind Xiao Wuxi that day. There is always a fleet that was beaten by Zhang Rong before and did not dare to show its face.
over there.
Without the ships, no matter how capable the naval force is, won't they have to change their positions offensively and defensively? At that time, not to mention that Tokyo is in danger, people like myself may also be cut off from logistics, locked in Hebei and become a lonely army... No matter how we fight, we will collapse.
From this point of view, the imperial army's right army can really be sacrificed and lost, but the navy army is not allowed to suffer losses... At this thought, Tian Shizhong's face turned pale and ugly. Because he was in Yue Fei's position
On the other hand, or on the positions of several husband-in-laws in Tokyo behind him, they would definitely agree with Zhang Rong's opinion first.
However, he still tried hard to find a reason: "If we talk about defending Tokyo...what if the Jin army takes advantage of the freeze to bypass this side and go directly from the empty east to Jinan to attack Tokyo? It can be seen that the lower reaches must also be
Keep it."
He said this himself in an embarrassing way... How many days will the freeze period last? As long as the navy can be saved, will the gold army withdraw or not?
"Not bad." Unexpectedly, Yue Fei did not pursue the reluctance in his words, but nodded in response. "This also needs to be considered."
However, this statement made Tian Shizhong increasingly wary, because he knew that Yue Fei was not such a confused person.
Zhang Rong even stomped his feet: "He is right, I am right, everyone is right, but can we all do something like a war together? Especially this war is of great importance. According to the Di newspaper, the first hundred people are right.
For many years and the next two hundred years of national destiny have been staked, how can we be reconciled! You Yue Pengju called us over today, there must be an explanation and distribution!"
"I really have to have something to say."
Hearing this, Yue Fei stood up in the basket with his arms in his arms, rarely laughing. "Brother Zhang, Brother Tian, in fact, it's not only you two who have difficulties and ideas, I, Yue Fei, also have..."
Seeing how strange Yue Fei was, the two of them couldn't help but look at each other, and then each became awe-inspiring... Tian Shizhong held the thick rope on the side, while Zhang Rong untied the exquisite cotton-padded jacket given by the emperor, put it on his body, and stood with his hands on his waist.
.
"I thought I was only thirty years old this year, so I was appointed Marshal of Hebei Province. Everyone in the world said that I met the Ming Dynasty, but no one secretly said that I had great luck and was a lucky minister. It's just that officials usually have simple affairs.
How can I achieve this by letting me do meritorious deeds? How come there aren’t some flatterers who say all day long that I have a serious personality and am naturally handsome?" Yue Fei ignored the little gestures of the two and just continued to smile and embrace each other.
sighed. "But no matter what outsiders think, for me, since the day when the official promised to be the marshal on the spot and gave me the post of general, although I didn't show it on my face, I was determined to kill Jingkang in my heart."
I am ashamed to repay the kindness of the officials. I have also made up my mind long ago to fight this battle well and make great contributions so that people in the world will not underestimate me... Of course, I must also want to do well.
Take back Hebei and bring your brothers home... The hatred of the country and the family, the long-cherished wish for fame and fame, are all fighting here."
Wang Gui sighed quietly but said nothing.
"Marshal's devotion to serving the country is known to all the world." Tian Shizhong held the rope and laughed dryly.
"Of course. When I first met you ** years ago, I could tell that you were cold on the outside and hot on the inside." Zhang Rong said something extra. "I like drinking, and I like to lose my temper when I drink too much. I also know how to cry when I'm wronged.
When you talk to someone, you won’t be able to finish what you said… Last time I visited your house to see your mother, she told me the same thing.”
"That's not what I mean." Yue Fei was embarrassed for a moment. "What I want to say is that although I want to repay your kindness, succeed in my career, and fulfill my long-cherished wish, but from the day I was appointed, I have never felt at ease..."
"Like Wang Gang's defeat in that battle, although I know that it is common arrogance and underestimation of the enemy to take advantage of merit, and I don't show it on my face, I still can't help but worry about my own combat power..."
"Li Bao won a game at sea, and I just wanted to reward him on the surface, but I was so happy that I couldn't sleep at night. Later, he went ashore and lost another game, and I was so worried that I couldn't sleep..."
"Then later we came to Gao Jingshan. After all, he was a veteran. He arranged the Yuancheng opposite like an iron bucket without making any mistakes. I didn't show it on my face, but I felt increasingly uneasy in my heart. I felt like I was walking on thin ice all day long..."
"It has only been ten days since I came to this famous city, and I have been on a hot air balloon nine times... Each time, after hearing the news about the battlefield, I know that the situation is getting more and more oppressive, and I don't know how to open up the situation, nor how to deal with it.
Those in the upper army couldn't hold back for a moment, so they couldn't help but hide up and push the others down. Only one person was here to observe the terrain, think about the situation, formulate plans, and even make a decision secretly."
"Actually, I am the same." Zhang Rong said with relief. "Fortunately, I don't want to pretend. If I get bored, I just put on a cotton-padded jacket and walk up and down the river embankment..."
Tian Shizhong swallowed a sip of saliva. He wanted to say that he was the same... He had always thought that he was a responsible person before, but this time when he led the right army of the royal camp alone, he liked to pinch things inexplicably. There were many things.
He was crushed, crushed... but after all, he was too embarrassed to speak.
"In short!" Yue Fei sighed. "You have your own difficulties and thoughts in your position. I understand that, but as the marshal of Hebei, I also have my own difficulties and thoughts... I
After much deliberation, there are nothing more than two points, one is preservation, the other is progress... Preservation is to protect the three armies and ensure that under the siege of the Jin Army, the overall situation will not be ruined because of our omissions; progress is, if we can
To capture Daming Mansion, completely open up the situation in front of us, and force the Jin army to be helpless, we must try our best to capture it!"
"marshal!"
Tian Shizhong squeezed the thick rope tightly, and finally felt helpless, even pleading. "I was worried that you would have this idea from the beginning, because according to your usual military strategy, as long as you can
There is a plan, no matter how bizarre it is, it must be done! But Zhang Dutong made it clear just now... It is related to the fate of the country for two hundred years... Even if there is a way, we should make a conservative decision! Let's keep it safe, okay?
good?!"
Yue Fei shook his head in reply: "I didn't take risks randomly, but I looked at this terrain and thought about many possibilities. And I started making preparations from the very beginning when I had an idea. I already had supplies and a rough plan, and that's when I came to you! And!
I think the timing is good... The main force of the Jin army has not arrived yet, so they are slacking off. The small river has frozen and the big river is not sealed, so they can't move left and right... This is a fighter opportunity!"
"I know what the marshal is thinking about, gunpowder to blow up the city!" Tian Shizhong was almost furious. "The people below don't know, don't we know? We watched the gunpowder stone blasting demonstration with the officials that day in Wushan, who
Not tempted? The government has saved so much gunpowder and is not willing to use it elsewhere. It’s very clear what it means! But that plan is just a plan. How can it be possible to risk 90,000 elite soldiers and two hundred years of national fortune to blow up the city in one go?
Above? What if it snows, wets the gunpowder, and doesn't explode? If it explodes, Gao Jingshan is ruthless and grits his teeth to block the opening? Now, despite such a strict arrangement, and rashly attack the city, if it doesn't work
If we capture it quickly, we have to worry about being blocked by the Jin cavalry waiting in the north, and the whole army will be choked! Then what will you and I look like when we go to see the officials? It will be nothing more than wiping our necks under the city!"
"What you said is absolutely correct."
Yue Fei nodded in response. "Gunpowder is a surprising method, but we must not put the lives of our three armies on a gunpowder blast... It is just a surprising introduction. There must be a complete countermeasure to follow... I really
He has a complete siege plan! Even if the gunpowder fails, he can still attack the city safely and resist the enemy properly!"
Tian Shizhong was completely helpless.
Zhang Rong also hesitated to speak.
"That's what I think." Yue Fei ignored the two people's reactions and just returned to his usual appearance, speaking calmly. "If Yuancheng can be broken, with the regulations of these two cities, the ship can be safely stored... Zhang Jiedu, that's right.
No? You don't have to worry about where to store the warships in the winter or whether to sail the ships back to Henan."
Zhang Rong glanced at the river sandwiched between the two cities and the artillery carriage on the other side of the river, and nodded helplessly.
"And if you want to break the city before it freezes, you must have enough troops. On the one hand, you must ensure that you can attack the city with all your strength, and on the other hand, you must work together to reject the reinforcements from the north... Is that correct or not, Tian Dutong?" Yue Feifu looked at Tian Shizhong again.
Master Tian took a long breath, suppressed his dissatisfaction, and said with all his strength, "Yes."
"Then can you personally bring fifteen thousand people here to serve as reinforcements for the Jin army in the north for me?" Yue Fei continued to inquire seriously. "Only in this way can I have enough power to attack the city..."
Even though he was next to the stove, Tian Shizhong felt his scalp was numb and his whole body was cold. "My army is already short of troops... How can we bring more than ten thousand people here? Do we not want more than ten cities in three states?"
"No more." Yue Fei responded calmly. "My perfect countermeasure is very simple on your side. Aren't you a soldier who can't defend so many places? I made the decision and abandoned those three states and more than ten cities... just Guard Xiajin, the narrowest part of the river, and the two cities of Gaotang, connecting Jinan and Qingzhou as a line of defense...can't we guard it?"
Tian Shizhong was stunned for a moment, he couldn't believe his ears, and immediately asked: "After abandoning the three states, how will the marshal explain to the officials and Tokyo? Do you know that after abandoning the three states, what will happen to the ministers, scholars, and people in the rear?" If you don’t know how to fight, I’m afraid it will cause trouble!”
"But this can at least ensure that in case of defeat, the line of defense can be preserved." Yue Fei responded simply. "As for the rear... First, according to the official decree before leaving, the prime ministers in Tokyo can only ask questions, but they can't Interfering with us; secondly, this war is related to the fate of the country, how can we waste our troops at the end just for the sake of face and commotion in the rear? If we lose the overall situation, it will be a disaster for hundreds of years; thirdly, this matter really has a beginning and an end, and I will take responsibility for it! You I just want to say that if we come to defend like this, can you get me 15,000 soldiers from the right army of the royal camp?"
Tian Shizhong stared at the person in front of him with an extremely complicated look, but actually shook his head and affirmed:
"Yes! But fifteen thousand people, how can they block you on the plains from the three thousand households of Ali, Piaohe, and Wang Bolong who have appeared in the north? Especially the two thousand households of Ali and Piaohe, just north of Yuancheng The Guantao garrison next to it is only twenty or thirty miles away."
"I have a way!" Yue Fei blurted out.
Tian Shizhong almost cursed, but suddenly remembered something, and his heart moved slightly, but he didn't ask any more questions. He just suppressed some speculation and uneasiness, and slowly shook his head: "The other side of the river is not blind, how can we quickly let the main force cross the river? How about setting up a defensive line?"
Yue Fei turned to look at Zhang Rong, who had not spoken for a long time.
Zhang Rong was startled for a moment, then realized, regardless of whether he was in a basket in mid-air, he still lowered his voice and pointed to the river to the east: "Pengju! Of course I, Lao Zhang, can trust you... But in this situation, you let me How can my fleet get through? There are gun carriages pressing down on it! The water is much shallower!"
"This is the key." Yue Fei finally spoke with a slightly difficult tone. "Brother Zhang, don't want too many... In the past dozen ships, two to three thousand people, just grab a position... If you can do it, I will let you go." If you don't succeed, let's just retreat and set up a defensive line... How about that?"
Zhang Rong looked at the other party steadily and said nothing for a long time.
Tian Shizhong was holding a thick hemp rope on the side, his fingers almost bent to a dangerous degree, but he didn't dare to make a sound.
Wang Gui, who had been silent for most of the day, hesitated to speak, but had no choice but to restrain his hands. After a while, he simply picked up the shovel and prepared to add charcoal to the hot air balloon's furnace.
However, this action was stopped by Yue Fei's hand.
"It's politeness first, then attack, right? If I don't agree, will you give the military order directly if I don't agree?" Zhang Rong's tone was trembling. "I'm not allowed to speak?"
"Brother Zhang!" Yue Fei exclaimed in mid-air. "We serve as soldiers and eat food... Is it just that we serve as soldiers and eat food? Why do we serve as soldiers and eat food? After three or five years of peace, have we forgotten the thoughts and people of the past?
?”
Zhang Rong also sighed, and then gritted his teeth: "Since you mentioned back then, well, just like you believed in me back then and almost led the Jin army to Shoutou Beach alone, I should believe you today too.
You have the right character and ability...Three thousand people, twenty small ships, I will let Xiao En lead the team!"
After saying this, the commander of the imperial navy simply turned his face to the east, avoiding the waterway to the west in an evasive manner.
Tian Shizhong was standing by. He wanted to speak, but he didn't know how to speak, so he could only squeeze the hemp rope harder. However, soon the conductor Bei below began to drag the hot air balloon down at Wang Gui's signal, and the hemp rope was tightened.
It was tight, but he didn't even have a place to pinch the thing. He was at a loss for a moment, so he simply squatted down in the basket and held his head to deal with it.
Then, still silent.
As for Yue Pengju, he took a deep breath at this time, and then tried hard to think about his plan again. In fact, it had been hatched since the first day he arrived. At this time, he was already familiar with the plan, but he could not calm down.
After a while, the hot air balloon was slowly pulled down, with Marshal Yue as the leader, a Jiedu, and the two vice-deputies jumped out of the basket one after another, and then they all looked calm and walked with wind, and left straight away, which also made Bei
A low-level officer like Yan secretly admired him.
After a while, drums began to be beaten in Daming City to gather the generals. When the generals gathered in the city, Marshal Yue Fei of the Hebei Front Army was sitting on top in full robes, Zhang Rong was sitting sideways in a cotton-padded jacket, and the two deputy commanders, Tian and Wang,
They were also sitting in the top positions on the left and right, with expressionless faces and solemn expressions, showing a sense of grandeur.
"I have a complete plan. We will destroy Yuancheng and capture Daming Mansion within this month." Yue Fei calmly ordered. "You all must follow the military orders and step up your preparations!"
From Zhang Zigai to Tang Huai to Zhang Xian, there was an uproar in the tent. Only the four highest-ranking generals sat still, as if they had already made an agreement and were confident, unlike these ordinary generals.
PS: Sacrifice a new book, "God Catching: I Have a Book of Mountains and Seas"