Hundreds of people rode out of the city and ran towards the north as if the wind was blowing. They ran for more than ten miles to the mountain pass before slowing down. The wind was even stronger here. Chang Yu couldn't help but cover his clothes and looked around. Fan: "In more than a month, the mountains here will be closed due to heavy snow."
Zu Dashou nodded: "But we can't let him seal it, otherwise all our efforts will be wasted."
Chang Yu understood what he meant, which was to prevent the Tatar army from attacking Tashan Fort while the mountain was closed and the road was cut off.
"Can Tashan Fort be built in more than a month?" Chang Yu asked, and Zu Dashou nodded: "That's enough." He raised his eyes and scanned the peaks on both sides: "Every time I pass through this valley, I always hear my soldiers talking about the governor. In the battle when the Duke ambushed Dorgon here, the Governor was as brave as a heavenly general, and was worshiped as a god by the Ningyuan army. It is really admirable."
"Old general, don't laugh at our family. In terms of bravery, our family is only one ten thousandth of the old general's. Every inch of land in Liaodong has left the majestic appearance of the old general's iron horse marching across the battlefield. This is a role model for our generation."
A smile appeared on the corner of Zu Dashou's mouth, he looked into the distance and sighed: "I'm old, I'm old, even heroes have their twilight years."
"Can Lian Po still earn a living at eighty years old? Where can General Zu follow him?" Chang Yu said quickly. Zu Dashou couldn't help but laugh: "Master Du Gong is very knowledgeable."
"Our family doesn't have any knowledge. We just like to listen to stories about heroes."
Exiting the mountain pass is Huludao City in later generations. However, Huludao at this time was just an island. However, the Lianshan District under its jurisdiction was a military fort of the Ming Army called Lianshan Fort. However, it was attacked by the Tatar Army the year before last. The damage was so severe that there was no need to rebuild.
In the Ming Dynasty, the military fortresses that garrisoned troops and housed the people at the same time were not absolute single military fortresses. They varied in size, and the small ones were not as big as a village. The dozens of garrisoned troops cultivated and farmed the fortresses for self-sufficiency. The larger ones were like cities. For example, the Songshan Fort next to Jinzhou was also called Songshan City at the time, but the general area of military forts ranged from a few miles to two or three miles in circumference.
This Tashan Fort is two miles in circumference. Although it was destroyed by the Tatars, its foundation is still there. All it takes is rammed earth to build walls, rebuild the fort gate, and build some military buildings. And there is Gelizi Mountain nearby to the west, so it is very convenient to obtain earth and stone materials.
Zu Dashou recruited five hundred soldiers and one thousand civilians to work here day and night. These one thousand soldiers and horses were used as workers in their spare time and as soldiers in times of war.
After more than a month of construction, the city wall of Tashan Fort has been built for more than ten feet and is almost completed. The fort gate has also been completed. The rest of the military buildings in the military fort have just started to be built. After all, under the constant harassment of the Tatars, of course it must be built first. Mainly the wall.
The construction site of the military fort is still busy. Hundreds of migrant workers and soldiers are working hard despite the cold and dry weather. In the distance, dozens of cavalry are wandering back and forth to inspect. A three-foot-high lookout post has been set up in the fort, but if there is any discovery, A warning will be given immediately, and the busy soldiers below will immediately drop their weapons, mount their horses, and enter combat mode.
Chang Yu walked around the fort and praised: "It can be done in half a month at such a speed. General Zu really worked hard."
Zu Dashou smiled bitterly: "This was all done with money, and of course it was the soldiers who worked hard."
"Anything that can be solved with money is nothing." Chang Yu raised his head and looked at the observation post: "After the Tashan Fort is built, General Zu will practice his skills first. After the spring of next year, we will smash the Xingshan Fort!"
Zu Dashou became slightly excited: "That Xingshan Fort will cost a lot of money, and the resistance will be even greater!"
"We will deal with the money, and the resistance will be left to General Zu to resist!" Chang Yu smiled and climbed up to the lookout post, followed closely by Zu Dashou: "The Tatars saw that we were rebuilding Tashan Fort. We will definitely continue to vigorously damage the Xingshan and Songshan Forts, increase the difficulty of our reconstruction, and at the same time send a large force to attack, which is definitely not the current strength."
Chang Yu boarded the lookout post and took out his telescope to observe. The weather was clear today and the field of view was excellent. He could see for dozens of miles from a height. The mountains were vast to the west, the blue sea to the east, and the endless wilderness to the north. Even ten miles could be seen. There were many people wandering by the Qili River Yu Li away, and Zu Dashou said they were Tatar soldiers.
Perhaps it was because the front line was too far away and it was difficult to deploy a large force with logistical supplies and he was worried about being ambushed. Or perhaps Dorgon did not want to worsen the situation at this time. Although he kept harassing the Ming army to rebuild the military fortress, he never launched a large-scale attack. At most, there were more than a hundred cavalry. .
This is where he is smart.
On the grounds that the Ming army rebuilt the military fort and was eyeing Jinzhou and pressing forward step by step, Lai refused to leave Jinzhou and constantly clashed with the Ming army to resolve internal pressure, but he was very restrained because he knew that if he provoked the Ming army, In a hurry, if he directly besieged Jinzhou, or simply retreated without repairs, the balance would be broken. At that time, he would not be able to offset the internal pressure with external pressure, and would suffer internal and external suffering!
Of course, will the Ming army grit their teeth and really besiege Jinzhou? In previous years, Dorgon could say with certainty, no! Not to mention that he was harassing a rebuilt military fort, even if he was harassing Ningyuan, the other party didn't dare to say anything and didn't have the strength.
But now, he has no confidence at all.
Although the Ming Dynasty army was exhausted after successive battles, they could no longer maintain a normal attitude, because Dorgon had suffered so much here, and he couldn't control the little eunuch's pulse at all!
What's more, he is in dire straits right now. If the other party doesn't come to beat him, it will be too much for him. If he does come, the consequences will be disastrous.
Then why didn't the Ming army take advantage of his illness to kill him?
Chang Yu thought about it too.
However, it is beyond our capabilities.
Nowadays, the few troops and grain reserves outside the pass do not have the conditions to attack Jinzhou. They can only recuperate and slowly plan for it. Although the attack is insufficient at the moment, the defense is sufficient, and the strength of the Tatars is still there.
"Tatars invade almost every day, how many wins or losses are there?" Chang Yu asked Zu Dashou next to him, holding up a telescope and staring at the Tatar soldiers by the Qili River.
"The general has thousands of troops here, and he has never been allowed to come within ten miles." Zu Dashou smiled, Chang Yu hummed, and suddenly asked: "Are the Tatar troops increasing in number?"
Zu Dashou lowered his eyebrows and thought for a moment: "It's true, at first there were more than ten cavalry, then twenty or thirty, then nearly a hundred, and these days they are all above a hundred cavalry."
Chang Yu sneered: "The strength of its troops will become larger and larger. Maybe there will be more than five hundred and nearly a thousand in ten days. This winter will not be peaceful. Although this military fortress can be built, whether it can be defended depends on General Zu." Really capable."
Zu Dashou was startled: "Why did the Governor make such a judgment?"
"Because as time goes by, the internal pressure from Shenyang on Dorgon will increase, and he will use this to offset it. General Zu may wish to think about it. In fact, from the beginning of your construction, Dorgon can send a large army to harass , although it is slightly more difficult for him to supply, he can still hinder your construction. Once it is delayed until winter, the construction will be hopeless, why doesn't he do this?"
Zu Dashou was startled: "The Governor is saying that Dorgon still wants us to build this military fortress in his heart?"
Chang Yu laughed: "Of course he doesn't want to, but the reality forces him to think that if we don't build the military fort, he will have nothing to do, and he will have no excuse to offset the pressure. This is very similar to raising a thief's self-respect. He It helps us save ourselves."
"However, we are the Ming Dynasty's frontier troops, not thieves! This time, he will have to suffer a lot." Zu Dashou laughed loudly, suddenly frowned, raised his telescope and looked towards the north: "What a fool!" coming".
