The "Fire Fox" intelligence network created by Su San'er currently has dozens of people, spread throughout the government and military in Jiading and Meizhou, and most of them occupy key and crucial positions. They were all deeply disappointed by the corruption and incompetence of the Southern Song Dynasty and resented the corruption of Yu Xing and his son, so they chose to join the "Fire Fox". The Pili Army advocates justice and equality, and the rule of law is strict. As long as ordinary people work hard, they can have enough food and clothing. It is like a harmonious world that even saints long for. Many people in Sichuan who were deeply attached to their family and country were also inspired by the Perak Army's philosophy of "driving out the Tartars and restoring China" and secretly served for the Perak Army. According to Ouyang Xuan, these people with lofty ideals risked beheading, brought their own rations and worked silently on the hidden front. They are indeed true warriors.
As the captain of the personal guard, Su Saner naturally followed Yu Xing to Chongqing. However, although he was not in Jiading, the "Fire Fox" network continued to transmit political, military, and economic intelligence to the Pili Army. During this period, he even risked being exposed, colluding Liu Da'er and Cao Zhizhou with Niu Lin. Information comes one after another. After the Perak Army occupied the Pengshan and Changqiu Mountains, it bordered Meizhou, so intelligence exchange became much more convenient. After analyzing the intelligence of Yali in Meizhou, Jiading, Luzhou, Chongqing, and even the areas occupied by the Mongolian army, the Pili Army was not only sure that Liu Dal'er and Cao Zhizhou were about to surrender to Mongolia, but also figured out their action plan.
Liu Dal'er and Cao Zhizhou were not only betraying their ancestors through countless crimes, they also wanted to seize Jiading as a capital for their promotion and wealth. In the two men's strategy of surrendering to Mongolia, Jiading, Meizhou, Yali and other prefectures will be dedicated to the Mongolian army as certificates of surrender. As for the Perak Army, their idea is to seize as much land as possible, preferably Pengshan County and Changqiu Mountain Area. The Perak Army is very powerful. Although these two people are arrogant, they are not arrogant enough to have the courage to take over the territory of the Perak Army. As long as these two sites on the border with Meizhou are captured, the connection with the Mongolian army can be strengthened through waterways and the Perak Army's land threat to Meizhou can be eliminated. This is also the reason why Liu Dal'er sent people to persuade Zhou Jianshen to surrender to the enemy.
Although Liu Daer and Cao Zhizhou are of low character, they are not idiots. They suggested to Newlin that the best way to deal with the Perak Army was to build forts around the Perak Army and use a siege strategy to gradually attack the Perak Army. Although Niulin had not personally fought with the Perak Army, he also learned about the advantages and disadvantages of the Perak Army's fortification and artillery from the mouths of his fellow generals stationed in western Sichuan, Mi Zhehuoli and Hudu. As a well-known Mongolian general who has been on the battlefield for a long time, Niulin is cunning, tenacious but not arrogant. On the contrary, he has the rare caution of the Mongols. He does not think that he can defeat the resistance of the Perak Army in one fell swoop. After all, Mengge Khan personally led an army of 100,000 people, but he could not do anything to defend the city. Instead, he was injured and killed by the cannon wind.
The siege strategy of these two traitors made Ouyang Xuan sweat suddenly on his back, because it directly hit the key points and weaknesses of the Perak Army. At present, the Perak army has sufficient supplies and all industries are prospering, but these are all based on the continuous acquisition of strategic resources from the outside world. If Yazhou and Meizhou Jiading fall into the hands of the Mongolian army, the input of urgently needed resources will be greatly reduced. Not only will industrial and agricultural production be drastically reduced, it will also make the existing fiscal and taxation system unsustainable. The non-imposition of grain taxes attracted a large number of refugees to western Sichuan and greatly enhanced the reputation of the Perak Army. However, this policy made finance and taxation extremely dependent on industry, mining and trade revenue.
What's even more terrible is that the lack of key raw materials such as fire salt, mercury, etc. will lead to a cliff-like decline in arms production, which will in turn lead to a decline in the combat effectiveness of the army. With the two or three states in western Sichuan currently occupied by the Perak Army, they simply cannot afford to fight a war of attrition. Although the production efficiency of the Pili Army is much higher than that of the Sichuan Mongolian Army, except for industrial and mining products, whether it is population or food and other daily necessities, it is far inferior to the Sichuan Mongolian Army, let alone the huge Mongolian Empire. The northern Han region controlled by Kublai Khan alone had a population and area more than a hundred times that of the Perak Army. Even if the casualty ratio between the two armies was one to ten, the Perak Army would not be able to afford it.
Faced with the siege strategy, the Perak Army could either sit back and fall into a state of chronic death, or wait for the Mongolian army to free up its hands to deal a thunderous blow. But taking the initiative to attack the enemy's strong cities and fortresses is playing into the enemy's hands. In fact, this is the essence of Liu Dal'er and Cao Zhizhou's siege strategy. They knew that the Perak Army's strengths lay in fortified cities equipped with artillery and naval warships. As long as these two things are restrained, the Thunderbolt Army has nothing to fear. During the Battle of Hengyuan Fort, Liu Heima also made the same suggestion to him, but the self-esteemed Mi Zhi Huoli couldn't listen to his opinion at all. On the contrary, although Niulin looked down on generals who were not from his own clan, he also followed suit and agreed to the two men's proposals.
To break the enemy's siege strategy, it is relatively easier to use waterways. But even if Meizhou City could be captured, Liu Daer could lead his army to retreat to a fortress far away from the river, and wait for the opportunity to send small boats to sneak attack merchant ships from the river branches, lakes and ponds. Due to the high terrain of Jiading City, although warships can bombard the city, they will also be hit by the defensive facilities located on the high ground, and they will inevitably suffer heavy losses. Even if they were lucky enough to capture Sangui, Jiuding, and Lingyun City at the risk of heavy casualties, the newly attached troops would retreat to the range of gunboat fire, and under the protection of the Mongolian army, they would wait for an opportunity to attack the Perak fleet. The Pili Army's navy warships not only had to control the river channels from Jinma River to Nanhe River, but also prevent the Mongolian navy from breaking through Pengshan City from Chengdu. There were not many ships to escort the merchant ships. Carrying out trade when being attacked frequently will not only cause damage to the cargo ship and lose all money, but also cause a large number of casualties among the caravan personnel.
The main battle weapons and artillery of the Perak Army infantry are very heavy. Although they have been lightweighted based on the needs of field operations, and wheels and mules and horses have been installed, the traveling speed is still slow, and it takes a long time to transition from marching state to combat state. . During this period, it was extremely vulnerable to Mongol cavalry raids. Although the Perak Army currently has a cavalry brigade, its riding skills and combat experience are far inferior to those of the Mongolian cavalry, and it is difficult to block a surprise attack by the same number of Mongolian troops. At present, the Mongolian Army of Sichuan only has 3,000 elite cavalry in the Niulin tribe. If the cavalry under Mi Zhehuoli and others are included, the number is several times that of the Perak Army cavalry. This allows the Perak Army to attack Meizhou, Jiading and Yazhou from the land route. The risk is extremely high.
Even if light troops such as the Special Forces Brigade of the Perak Army approach the enemy's city or fortress through the trails on the mountainside ridge, they will find many obstacles. According to Liu Dal'er and Cao Zhizhou's plan, a large number of crisscrossing trenches will be dug around the cities and fortresses such as Mingshan, Meizhou, and Hongya that the Perak Army may attack. These trenches were used to slow down the advance of the Perak Army and prevent artillery from approaching the city walls. The defenders in the city could also conduct raids on the Perak Army's artillery positions through these trenches. Since the rise of the Perak Army, both the Mongolian army and the official army have been studying ways to deal with artillery, and they have unanimously adopted the method of civil engineering. Although the construction of civil fortifications is time-consuming and labor-intensive, the effect of preventing shelling, especially light artillery, is extremely significant. Of course, Liu Daer and Cao Zhizhou's plan is not to passively defend, but to rely on something - they also have fortress cannons and are preparing to cast more. Although these imitation artillery are far less powerful than the fortress artillery of the Perak Army, they can deal with light artillery when mounted on the city wall.
