The night was dark, the north wind roared, and heavy snow flew across the sky.
Twelve miles north of Tashan Fort, under the wind and snow, two thousand Ming troops were digging trenches in full swing, wielding various tools. Although the noise was loud, it was covered up by the sound of wind and snow. There were no stars in the sky, and there were no lamps on the ground to boil oil. Snow reflects on construction.
A few hundred meters away to the north of the trench, nearly a hundred horsemen were patrolling back and forth, watching the grass and trees to the north vigilantly. If there was any sign of trouble, they would immediately go to check and expel them. Fortunately, no Qing army reconnaissance cavalry was found.
In this snowy night with the howling north wind, the Qing army would hardly send reconnaissance cavalry out of the city. Even if they did, they would only wander around Songshan Fort and never go as far as Xingshan. After all, they have a city and a fort to rely on, and they are not camping in the wild. You must send reconnaissance cavalry to guard the surrounding areas.
Therefore, the Ming army carried out such a large battle and such a large project at night, and they knew nothing at this time!
What are they doing?
Dorgon in Jinzhou City stood at the door looking at the heavy snowfall and fell into deep thought. Fan Wencheng, who had just fallen asleep and woke up, was also looking at the snow at the door. Then he came to Dorgon and said, "God help me wait!"
This snow is a good thing for them. It can give them enough time to make more comprehensive preparations, and it can also delay the Ming army in Ningyuan.
Songshan Fort is still under construction. Even if it is windy and snowy, the Korean soldiers inside cannot stop the work. They work overtime day and night to rebuild and strengthen the fortifications. If it is completed one day earlier, Jinzhou City will be more secure.
On Songshan Mountain two miles east, Azige, Obai and others were also watching the snow falling from the door. Azige just cursed: "God's day, it won't rain in the morning or at night." Then he went back to his room to rest. , Oboi and Hong Chengchou just remained expressionless and silent.
The snow came suddenly and so naturally.
Winter is here, and there are more and more snowy days. Looking at this formation, it should be the first mountain-closing snowfall in winter.
It was dawn, but the snow hadn't stopped yet, and was getting heavier and heavier. Chang Yu, who was sleeping next to the stove, turned over and opened his eyes. He looked around at no one in the room, squinted for a while before getting up, and heard a movement. Kuang Ren came in from outside and said, "Duke, it's still early and the snow is heavy. Please sleep a little longer."
Chang Yu shook his head, pushed the door open and couldn't help but shrink his neck, looked up at the sky, and saw the charming eyes of flying snow.
"Do you know how far the north side has been dug?"
Kuang Ren shook his head: "It's not clear yet, but Li Guo left early in the morning."
Chang Yu snorted and asked, "Is he going alone?"
"Song Xiance also went, as did Zu Zerun, who led a thousand troops."
Chang Yu looked up at the sky for a while, then turned and entered the house: "Let Ji Jike go too."
Kuang Ren turned around and went out. After a while, Tu Yuan hurriedly opened the door and came in: "I'm going too!"
Chang Yu glared at him: "We're all gone now, why don't we let us guard this empty city by ourselves?"
Tu Yuan choked, turned around and went out again with a groan.
Pee, wash up, have breakfast.
Marco slept very late last night and didn't sleep well, so he got up later than usual. After he washed up, he found that the castle was almost empty.
Except for Tu Yuan who was sitting in the room with an unhappy look on his face, there was no one else.
"Master Du Gong, haven't you gotten up yet?" Marco asked casually. Tu Yuan rolled his eyes and said, "He went out early in the morning."
In the wind and snow, Chang Yu was tightly wrapped while riding on the horse. Even if he tightened his neck, he still felt the wind and snow pouring into him. Next to him, Li Muchian wrapped himself into a rice dumpling with his coir raincoat and cape. Such a day, He really didn't want to go out even a step, but the eunuch said, "Shall we go out for a walk?"
Can he say no?
he can not.
On the contrary, there were several personal attendants behind Chang Yu. They stood tall and proud, as if they were not afraid of the severe cold. They only wore raincoats and no bamboo hats, and they turned into white-haired people in the blink of an eye.
In this extreme weather, Chang Yu didn't just go out for a walk, but went to inspect the progress of the project. He wanted to see how far two thousand people dug in one night.
Two thousand Ming troops fought hard all night in the wind and snow, and by daybreak they had dug twenty miles of land!
It was cold, not cold. Although it was windy and snowy, it was very hot. Some people even took off their cotton-padded clothes.
Tired, really tired, so at dawn, Zukfa began to take turns to work, some soldiers rested, and some soldiers continued. The resting soldiers were not idle either, digging pits for stoves and cooking mutton soup!
In order to reward these soldiers, thirty sheep were brought to the fort, and they were slaughtered and cooked to make soup. More than a dozen large pots were steaming and the aroma was overflowing. When the soldiers heard that they had meat to eat and soup to drink, they were full of energy. It was already daylight now, so I wasn't worried about the enemy seeing the fire. Besides, even in the dark night, with the heavy snow falling, you might not be able to see it unless you look closely.
The first person to see this scene was not Chang Yu, but Li Guo.
Li Guo and Zu Zerun led a thousand troops out of Tashan Fort early in the morning and headed straight north for ten miles. They saw thousands of soldiers digging holes in the wind and snow. This was the first time he had seen this scene, and it deeply affected his heart. The shock was huge and I had mixed emotions for a while.
He and Song Xiance even dismounted and approached the trench to take a closer look for a while. It was wide at the top and narrow at the bottom. The men and horses fell into it and it was difficult to get up for a while. If sharp weapons such as bamboo sticks and branches were arranged, the enemy could be hurt.
The trench can not only prevent enemy troops from entering, but also prevent friendly troops from leaving. Li Guo's troops and horses were blocked by the trench at this time. If they wanted to go around, they would have to cover seven or eight miles. When Zu Kefa learned about it, he ordered People tied trees and built a bridge to create a fast passage about three meters wide, allowing Li Guo's soldiers and horses to cross the border. When they saw Zu Zerun, the two brothers looked at each other without saying a word, but they did not say anything. middle.
Just as Li Guo's troops passed by, Ji Jike's 300 cavalry arrived behind them. Li Guo was an infantry cavalry and was slower, but Ji Ji was all cavalry and came first.
"According to the order of the Governor, we are going to Songshan." Ji Jike rode up to Li Guo and cupped his hands. Before dismounting, he took a step ahead. After saying this, he led his troops and disappeared into the flying snow.
Li Guo frowned. Why did the eunuch ask Yingying to follow him? Could it be to monitor him?
Hey, you have underestimated me. Even if I am really desperate, I will definitely not surrender to the Tartars! Although Li Guo said nothing, his cold expression made Song Xiance next to him guess his thoughts: "Think of the good in everything, be more open-minded, and have a broader vision."
Li Guo was startled, then he raised his hands and said, "That's what you taught me, sir."
What are those troops going north for? Could it be that they were going to attack Songshan, or that the Tatars were coming and they were going to stop them... The soldiers taking soup and resting next to the trench looked at the Ming army disappearing in the snow and began to talk about it.
After a while, I saw more than ten riders coming slowly from the south. Those with sharp eyes couldn't help but jump up: "Hey, the eunuch is here."
"Shh, are you tired of living? You can also call the Grand Eunuch." Someone around him quickly reminded him. The man shrank his head and retorted with a smile: "Our Grand Eunuch is broad-minded, so he heard it. How can you argue with a little pawn like me..."
"He won't care about you. His subordinates can't kill you, no matter how big or small." A veteran scolded, and then looked at the more than ten riders: "In this snowy day, if he can't feel comfortable in the fort, why are he running here?" Woolen cloth?"
"Of course you are just showing off to us." Some people chuckled, while others were slightly angry: "Who do you think you are? You deserve to be shown to us. This Lord Governor is so famous and powerful at such a young age. Is this just for show? Do you think he is the kind of power supervisor who only seeks fame and reputation..."
"Ahem, I just said that, why do you guys still take it seriously..."
"There are some things you can say, and there are some things you can't fart..."
"Hey, what are you talking about? That eunuch is your father. You are so protective..."
"Not my father, I can't let your grandson talk like this..."
"Hey, hey, hey, just say a few words less, what about..."
Chang Yu's dozen riders rode slowly along the trench from west to east. The soldiers wherever he passed, whether they were busy digging trenches or resting and drinking soup, looked at him with enthusiasm, and some even made eye contact. He would bow to say hello, and if he was bold, he would also take the initiative to say a few words. Chang Yu also had no airs, he should talk and smile, but even so, there were still some soldiers who were not cold to him and looked on indifferently from a distance. Lianshen even had a hint of disdain.
There is no way, he is not a money man, everyone likes him, even if he is a money man, there are still people who regard money as dirt. To apply the identity of later generations, he is an internet celebrity in the military, with some loyal fans and some negative fans, but his fans are just like him. Far more than Heizi. In addition to these, he also has idiot fans, such as the soldiers of several battalions of Dongchang Guards...
"As long as I give you a day and a night, I can dig to the beach!" Zukefa whispered as he followed Chang Yu.
Chang Yu squinted and looked towards the north, but the snow was too heavy and he couldn't see very far: "Just dig it as long as you can. If you don't have enough time, I will squeeze it out for you." ".
