"But the Lanzhou magistrate said that when the father-in-law came, he had already emptied Lanzhou City of food. There is really no way to give us more food."
Lan Yu had already guessed that with something as important as food and grass, once something abnormal happened, it would never be an easy problem to solve. If it can be solved easily, then it won't be a problem.
Therefore, Lan Yu wanted to borrow some grain from Lanzhou Prefecture first. Now it seems that this hope is gone.
"How much food and grass do we have?" Lan Yu looked at the logistics officer.
"Go back to my father-in-law, our food and grass can last for two months at most."
Lan Yu was slightly relieved that there was enough food and grass, but she had to be careful!
"Here's the order. From now on, the rations will be halved and all military training will be cancelled. The priority is to save food and grass."
"In addition, our guild will immediately write to the emperor to inquire about the food and fodder issue!"
When a soldier nearby heard this, he quickly raised his hands and asked: "My lord, is this a memorial to the emperor?"
Lan Yu glanced at this person and said slowly: "What? Do you think I am making a fuss out of a molehill?"
"No, I just thought that the food and grass were allocated by the Ministry of Household Affairs. Should I wait a little longer?"
"I know that you are from an academy, and I want to speak for your husband. But don't forget, Han Du is still my sworn brother. Could it be that I would harm him?"
"Based on the relationship between me and Han Du, do you think the Ministry of Revenue will hold up the food and grass and not allocate it to me?"
"This...of course not." Joining the Army also understood at this time.
"The problem will definitely not occur in the Ministry of Revenue. Although I don't know where the problem is now, it is best for the Ministry of Revenue to let the emperor know about it in advance."
"I'm a humble official, please forgive me." Joining the Army quickly bowed and apologized.
Lan Yu waved her hands, not angry.
...
Although there was no need to train troops, the soldiers still complained about the reduced food supply.
Fortunately, Lan Yu's prestige in the military was enough to quell such rumors.
"Report! Sir, urgent military information!"
Lan Yu's eyes widened and she quickly walked down and grabbed the envelope.
Look at the blood stains on it, it's human blood! My heart suddenly sank, and a bad premonition lingered in my heart.
I quickly tore the envelope open and took a look...
"Send an order to summon all the generals to come here to discuss matters with me!"
In just one meal, the fast horses gathered at the entrance of the commander's mansion. Everyone quickly dismounted, threw the reins to the guards, and strode into the commander's mansion.
"Master!"
"Master!"
"Master..."
Everyone saluted Lan Yu, who nodded in response.
Seeing the solemn look on the prince's face, the generals looked at each other and did not dare to ask questions, and each stood in their own seats.
After everyone had arrived, Lan Yu raised the envelope and said in a deep voice:
"I have just received news that Timur has sent an army of 600,000 to attack. We are now less than five days away from Jiayuguan."
As soon as Lan Yu finished speaking, there were waves of shouts.
"Six hundred thousand troops, isn't this more than last time?"
"Yes, if our gunpowder and shells can be replenished, we won't be afraid of Timur. But what we consumed last time has not been replenished yet..."
The generals immediately realized the seriousness. No wonder even the young master looked solemn.
After everyone's discussion gradually subsided, Lan Yu spoke:
"The food and grass supplies have not been sent to the court. There must be something unexpected, but now I don't have time to find out one by one. What we have to do now is to defend Jiayuguan even if it is a horse-hide corpse."
"Some of you are from Guanzhong, right? You should know what the people of Guanzhong will face if the Jiayuguan Pass is broken!"
The faces of all the generals instantly became very serious. They all clasped their fists and shouted: "I am willing to die for the Lord and defend Jiayuguan!"
Lan Yu nodded, and then ordered: "Send someone to tell Lanzhou to send me one hundred thousand shi of food within one month. If you miss one stone, I will behead him!"
Once a war breaks out, rations can no longer be halved to save food. If a person does not have enough to eat and does not have the strength to kill the enemy, he will be easily killed by the enemy. If we continue to save food like this, it will cause a mutiny.
...
Woo~woo~woo~
The shrill sound of the trumpet resounded through Jiayuguan City again, and the Timurid people were like a black tide, slowly pressing over.
Timur was eager to break the city, and without any delay after arriving at Jiayuguan, he directly ordered the attack on the city.
Lan Yu didn't show any weakness and shouted: "Fire, fire!"
"Sir, we don't have many gunpowder shells. If we fire now, what will happen when we run out?" The deputy general looked worried.
Lan Yu immediately shouted: "Timur didn't even take a break before ordering an attack on the city, which shows that he was eager to break through."
"We just have to give him a head-on blow to scare him! If we don't fire and he sees through the truth, that's where we will die."
"Don't hesitate, shoot, shoot!"
"Follow the order."
Boom boom boom...
Raindrops of artillery shells hit among the Timurids, leaving long bloody traces.
This loss was not enough to make Timur sad, but it made him frown.
After a moment, he sighed: "The Ming Dynasty's firearms are really powerful..."
"Your Majesty is saying that if the Ming army had not relied on sharp firearms last time, how could we have been defeated?"
Speaking of Ming Dynasty's firearms, Timur's generals gritted their teeth.
In the past, they relied on the sharp weapons siege vehicles and trebuchets that ran rampant in Central Asia. They were like lambs to be slaughtered under the Ming Dynasty's artillery. They were bombarded to pieces by the Ming army's artillery without even the slightest ability to fight back.
This time, the Timurid people also learned the lesson. Instead of spending huge manpower and material resources to build siege engines and trebuchets, they might as well make more ladders. This thing was more effective than siege engines and trebuchets when attacking Jiayuguan. big.
Timur saw that the Ming army's counterattack was still as fierce as ever, even more violent than the last time, so he gave up the idea of breaking the city by surprise.
As for the Ming army's more violent counterattack, Timur also had his own opinion. After all, the two sides had just fought a battle, and there were casualties on both sides. It was reasonable to counterattack fiercely due to deep hatred.
"Stop the attack. Let's come all the way and rest for three days before attacking the city."
The first trial attack ended hastily.
That night, whether it was Timur or Lan Yu, both of them were equally anxious. One is worried about how long Nusrato Ku Fortress can withstand the Ming army, and the other is wondering when the court's food supplies will arrive.
...
"Is this the Nusrato Ku Fortress?" Han Du looked at the fortress in front of him, his eyes a little dazed.
Han Du originally thought that the fortress was a strong city occupying a favorable location.
But where is the fortified city in front of us? This is simply a mountain!
Nusrato Ku Fortress was built by hollowing out the mountains on both sides and then building a thick high wall in the middle.
If it were a city, no matter how strong it was, Han Du would have the confidence to forcibly destroy it with cannons.
But this special thing is a mountain, a mountain!
No matter how powerful the cannon is when it hits the mountain, is it still the same as scratching an itch?
Not to mention cannons, even ordinary thermonuclear weapons cannot do anything against such a mountain.
Han Du held up the telescope and observed for a long time, and finally found helplessly that there was no other way except to use human life to pay for it.
Shaharul in the Nusrato Ku Fortress also saw the person who made him gnash his teeth and hate him. He waited in the fortress for Ahemu to come back, but in the end he only waited for the Ming army.
Ahemu's fate is naturally self-evident. Shaharul now has an army of 200,000 people and four elite legions. With his greatly increased strength, he has long wanted to bring shame to the city of Herat.
After a day's rest, Han Du summoned his generals to discuss how to attack the Nusrato Ku Fortress.
"Tell me, what are your thoughts on this battle?"
Everyone looked at each other, and after a moment, He Rong said: "Master, for such a fortress, there is no other way for the generals to fill it up except to fill it step by step with human lives."
】
Facing the expectant gazes of everyone, Han Du also shook his head slightly, "I can't do anything."
Sighing, Han Du looked solemn, slapped his hand on the desk, and said fiercely: "Even if it costs people's lives, I will break through this fortress!"
As the messengers galloped on fast horses, the Japanese slave soldiers were transferred to the Nusrato Ku Fortress.
This fortress is a pass, and the width in front is limited, so naturally the number of people attacking each time cannot be too many.
The cliffs on both sides of the fortress are densely covered with dark holes. There is no doubt that these holes are shooting ports for the opponent's archers.
Based on the number of these holes on the cliffs on both sides, one can imagine what kind of arrow rain the attacking party will suffer. It is simply impossible to attack the high wall under such a rain of arrows.
"Send the order, the Japanese slave soldiers attack the city, the cannons attack the firing ports on both sides, and cover the Japanese slave soldiers!"
Facing such a dangerous fortress, even if Han Du no longer regarded the Japanese slave soldiers as human beings, he would have to dispatch artillery to assist them.
The Japanese slave soldiers passed through the city of Herat and after a battle, only more than 500,000 were left. Maybe all the Japanese slave soldiers are dead, and they may not be able to break the fortress.
At that time, wouldn't it be necessary to use the lives of Ming army soldiers to fill the gap?
The Japanese slave soldiers suffered more than 200,000 casualties in the Battle of Herat, although the wounded survived temporarily. But when there is no medical treatment at all, those with more serious injuries will only die a few days later. Only those with minor injuries had a chance to survive.
In addition, the Japanese slave soldiers looted all the way and even ransacked the city of Herat completely. Doesn't that Japanese slave soldier have some gold, silver and jewelry on him?
It is said that wealth and silk can move people's hearts, and those who cherish great wealth are hurt at the same time. Naturally, there are Japanese slave soldiers who want to attack these people. Taking advantage of the dark moon and high winds, a single blow of the sword will bring about the result. It is only proper to snatch the other party's gold, silver and jewels into one's arms.
The Ming army paid no attention to the disputes between the Japanese slave soldiers, and further allowed the Japanese slave soldiers to massacre the wounded.
Today's Japanese slave soldiers are like walking gold ingots.
