The early morning fog began to dissipate from the mountains, and soon something unusual on the south mountain would be discovered on the opposite side.
Li Dan, accompanied by Wu Mao, inspected the defenses and took advantage of this to fully understand the terrain of Nanshan.
Then Zhao Jingzi and Master Ba were transferred back, and Sheng Huai'en was invited to set up a military tent on the ground halfway up the mountain. A shed was set up in front, where the five people discussed how to allocate defense and adjust the layout.
There was originally a plan, but after all, no one had surveyed the ground in such detail, so when I came up and took a look, I realized that some places needed to be adjusted.
The terrain of Nanshan Mountain is quite good. There are three ways to go up and down the mountain:
Walk out of Fengling Town to the Mayan River, turn south and enter the mountain on the stone pedal trail to the east.
It is narrow and difficult to navigate, making it difficult for people below to spot it.
The entire road twists and turns between the gaps in the cliffs. It is not only narrow, but also very steep in some places. There are no trees on both sides to block it, and it is always monitored by the guard post above.
As long as three or five crossbowmen are arranged to guard, the people attacking from below will have to pay heavy casualties to have a chance to succeed.
The northwest entrance is from the official road in front of Fengqiguan Pass, and after crossing a wooden bridge, you will see a rare open space in front of you.
We have reached the foot of the mountain here, and we can choose to go north (to Laifeng Pavilion) or south.
The southern entrance (the road that Li Dan and others took last night, now given the new name Desheng Road) runs through the entire protrusion and connects with Xishan Road (the road from Nanqiu) and Laifengge Road (Beiqiu). The road here) intersects.
The Nanshan protrusion is composed of three mounds, two large and one small. The North Hill is the smallest and lowest, with a wall height of only one foot;
The next highest one is Nanqiu, which is about one foot or two feet tall;
Dongqiu is the largest - the mountain hill where they are currently discussing, so Li Dan named it "Dadongqiu". The lower edge of the edge is ten feet and three feet, and the upper edge is ten feet and nine feet.
The entire Nanshan protrusion is high in the east and low in the west.
Further east from the protrusion, that is, up from the mirror stone, you can reach the top of the highest Yunfeng Peak, where Laifeng Pavilion is located. Not only can you overlook the surrounding area from here, but if two observation posts are placed on the cliff in the northeast corner, you can even monitor the movements of Fengling Town.
Therefore, it is not an exaggeration to say that it is the commanding heights.
After coming up last night, Gu Da led a team to occupy the west entrance and started building a fence (the first fence). Yang Yi built another fence behind him (the second fence);
The Fire Gun Team occupies the North Hill and controls Lai Feng Road (Northern Line), while the Archery Team occupies the South Hill and controls Xishan Road (Southern Line). Zhang Bo's team is still guarding the stone path on the top of Yunfeng Peak.
Looking at the pictures drawn on the white cloth, several people felt that the troops were a bit scattered. "Sheng Shanda, how about leaving the top of Yunfeng Peak and the stone pedal trail to the east to the officers and soldiers?"
"Okay!" Sheng Huaien nodded heavily: "It should be enough to put three hundred people up there. If we still can't hold on, it will be embarrassing! In fact, I think the trail is very dangerous, and two hundred people will be enough."
"So," Li Dan turned around and called the order: "Order Zhang Bo's team to go down the mountain immediately after the handover and wait at Dadongqiu! Song Jiuyi's team will reinforce Yang Yi to jointly defend the second fence, and the archery team will move forward to back up the Gu team."
After saying that, he turned his face and asked Master Ba: "How is the defense of the rear camp at the North intersection doing?"
"The gates and fences in the north have been erected. The part at the north intersection that has been prioritized will actually take some time." Master Ba replied, looking at Li Dan:
"Do you want to use them for defense? If you do, you might as well stick to the spot. They are more familiar with and more attentive to using the fence they built themselves."
"That's it, let a team from the rear camp stay on the spot to guard the north intersection, and at the same time further improve the camp fence!" Li Dan nodded.
At this time, a messenger from Ma Jiu's side came to report: "Defense, Master Jiu asked me to report to you: Zuoying is setting up a fence on the west mountain, and the brothers who are on guard found something that looked like an enemy sentry spying on them.
Master Jiu said that it was possible that the enemy was about to launch an attack, and the camp fence had to be built as soon as possible. He and Xiao Ying were discussing the need for more manpower.
I asked if more than 100 captives have arrived. Can these 100 people be used first to cut bamboo, carry it, etc.? "
"Okay!" Li Dan agreed immediately. After the screening before departure last night, he and Mr. Sheng executed a total of 120 people, leaving more than 800 prisoners.
Three hundred men were selected from them to make up each team, and the rest were transferred from the right battalion one after another. Ma Jiu requested the first group of people.
The terrain of Xishan Mountain is not as steep as Nanshan Mountain, and all the goods and baggage will be stored, so Li Dan agreed to the request without hesitation and said:
“The remaining prisoners will also be given to Zuoying for use, and the sheds to cover the carriages and horses must be built as soon as possible.
Tell Xiao Yingzheng that it’s a gloomy day and I don’t know when it will rain, so he must be careful! Someone was also sent to tell Youying to prevent rainfall and speed up the transfer! "
"Are all the prisoners left in Xishan? Then here...?" Wu Mao asked remindingly.
Everyone just pointed out that the Nanshan Yingzhao was divided into several sections and was not surrounded. It was built in a hurry and was not strong enough, so it was still necessary to find time to organize manpower to reinforce it.
He didn't want all the prisoners to be used by Xishan, so he asked this question.
"It doesn't matter, just wait until the migrant workers arrive. Nanshan is bigger, and it won't help if we bring in three to five hundred people. We have to prevent them from cooperating with the outside, so why bother?"
Wu Mao was right. After all, when the enemy found out, they would attack Nanshan first. If Nanshan delayed for a long time, Xishan would have enough time to build a stronger camp.
"What did you say just now? For the rear camp, leave one team at the north intersection, and the rest go forward to take over the defense of the South Hills from the archery team.
Of the people left behind at the foot of the mountain, two will continue to guard Banqiao, while the remaining four will come up to serve as the reserve force of the Chinese army! "
"Is Sanlang worried that the enemy troops in the pass will attack Nanshan?" General Sheng asked.
"They will not abandon the camp obediently," Li Dan nodded: "Once they discover the presence of the army behind us, they will definitely try to repel us first. If that fails, they will camp again."
"That's it," Sheng Huai'en held the handle of the knife and looked at the enemy camp down the mountain and the Guanzhai opposite:
"I saw three bonfires lit in the Guanzhai across the way last night. It seems that the people led by Lin Baihu have gone up successfully. There are hundreds of people on the opposite side who are safe for the time being.
The brothers who went to Fengling Town to investigate have not returned yet, and the enemy's situation is still unclear. But it is unlikely that they will know that we are coming so soon, so the danger over the stone staircase is not that big.
I will allocate another 100 people to hold down the formation. With 600 people from the militia and 300 officers and soldiers, and the favorable terrain, we should be able to keep Nanshan intact! "
"With your Excellency and three hundred officers and soldiers on guard, we will be emboldened!"
As soon as Li Dan finished speaking, he heard the horn sounding from the enemy camp opposite. The two looked at each other and said, "Here we come!"
"Then, sir, I will go to the front to take command, and please hold the line from behind." After Li Dan finished speaking, he took Ba Shiye and Wu Mao, followed by Song Xiaoniu, Hei Mu, Zhao Jing, Su Piantou, and Han Si's two personal guards. Go forward.
Sanqianzi Feng San also followed behind Mao Zaidi. He had no position and no tasks assigned to him, so he had no choice but to stay with Mao Zaidi.
They descended from the East Hill and walked along the riverbed between the South Hill and the North Hill. The troops who were adjusting their fighting positions saw them coming and stepped aside to make way.
Turning a small bend ahead, the cliffs on both sides suddenly disappeared, and the view suddenly became clearer. From here to the Mayan River, it is a flat and gentle slope.
Wu Mao paid attention and could see the first barrier erected by Gu Da and others near the river. In fact, the two ends had not been sealed. It was still three or four feet away from the bushes at the left end and several feet away from the cliff at the right end. Zhangyuan.
Gu Da's team stood in twelve five-man columns and blocked the position directly opposite the bridge.
In comparison, the second fence is better. It is connected to the cliff on the left and right sides, but the center is left empty and blocked by two rows of horses at the front and back.
On the inside of this fence stands Yang Yi's team, which is also twelve small columns, with five people in each team.
"Let's go there." Suddenly someone shouted. Wu Mao looked away and saw Li Dan walking up the high slope to the right of Erdaozha, so he quickly followed.
Stand on a high slope, and the guards stand below to form a protective wall.
At this time, someone shouted: "Song Jiuyi came to report. The entire team has been transferred to the second gate according to the commander's instructions. It has reached the designated position. Please give instructions!"
"Form up your team and guard the left side of the second gate. Get in line." Li Dan replied while still looking at the bandit formation at the bridge.
Song Jiuyi responded loudly and ran to the left wing. "What are they doing?" Li Dan asked, pointing to the other side.
Everyone looked over and saw each other huddled together in a mess, with several leaders looking like they were gathering together, pointing with their fingers from time to time.
"Look below, they have different opinions and are discussing something." Master Ba said.
Just as he was talking, there was a noise, and the archery team was seen pouring out, passing through Juma and standing in two rows behind the queue of Gu and Xiao's team a little to the right.
Huang Qin shouted across the two fences: "Sir, the archery team has arrived at the adjustment position. Please give instructions!"
"Cross the Nine Peaks. If a group of thieves crosses the river, shoot them, especially the leader!"
"Yes!" After Huang Qin finished speaking, he fisted his left chest, bowed slightly, turned around and ran back to his queue.
At this time, Song Xiaoniu suddenly came over and whispered: "Defense." Then he pointed behind him.
Li Dan looked back and saw Liu Hongsheng's round face peeking out from behind the fence in Beiqiu. He smiled sheepishly when he saw him.
"Huh? What are you doing, being sneaky?" He was a little confused.
"Uh, Liu Er asked, do you want them to come down too?" Xiao Niu answered for Liu Hongsheng.
"Ask him not to move without permission, and designate a platoon to stay behind. Even if there is an order to go down the mountain, this platoon cannot move. It must provide firepower for the second fence. If an enemy rushes into the north, watch Laifengge Road!"
Li Dan looked back at the top and told Mavericks: "I don't want the enemy to know that there are muskets here so early!
Mr. Bas, after the battle, remind me: I must quickly build an awning on Beiqiu to prevent the blunderbuss, gunpowder and match rope from getting wet when the rain comes. "
Then he turned to Mr. Master Ba: "By the way, remember to give him a note and lead the general's gun (bronze cannon) and twenty marbles per gun to the North Hill. We will build it into a gun platform that can directly block wooden bridges and intersections."
"Defense, the enemy formation has moved." Wu Mao suddenly reminded everyone that he had been paying attention to the other side.
The bandits began to cross the bridge. In front were forty sword and shield men, and behind them was an enemy general riding a pinto horse across the bridge. Behind him, someone was holding a large flag with a red border and a goose-yellow background, with the word "Lou" written on it.
"This guy is so impudent!" Zhao Jingzi was furious. According to the clothing color regulations of this dynasty, only the royal family can use goose yellow. Therefore, the other party's flag was actually an open provocation to the imperial power.
"I thought they were just causing rebellion, but now it seems they actually have intentions of rebellion?" Wu Mao also frowned. Rebellion and robbery are completely different. The latter can be recruited, but the former is impossible.
"It's strange, when we played against You Sanjiang, he didn't throw a yellow flag?" Master Ba asked.
Wu Mao thought for a while: "There are two possibilities. Either the uniform-colored flag cannot be used by everyone in the rebel army. Look at the word 'Lou' written on the flag of this man. He might have been captured at Feng Pavilion last night." The third young marshal whom the prisoner confessed to.
There is also a possibility that the bandit army only recently decided to use this flag. Didn't you see that its color is still brand new? "
"Is Sanqianzi here?" Li Dan asked.
"My subordinate is here!"
"Do you know anything about this 'Third Young Marshal'?"
"Reporting to the defense, I was in the bandit camp and traveled with Sanjiang to meet Lou Zi, so I know a little bit about it."
Feng San's eyes lit up when he heard the call, and he quickly squeezed in from behind, stood in front of Li Dan and answered with fists clasped.
