"This is a reason." He Zhang nodded: "Even if we add in the grain and fodder sent by the Second Young Master from Guangfeng and Chaoyang, we will only have enough for seven days!
In other words, if there is no replenishment, the team will be out of food after seven days!
And it is a hundred and twenty miles from Yushan. Even if we open the door to accept food as soon as we get to the city, it will be difficult to support this small amount of food, so we must vigorously replenish a batch locally.
The countryside has recently sent out food teams to clean up, and the limited income is better than nothing. There are only local squires, officials, and merchants' families. We have been polite to them since our arrival and have not touched them. We can probably collect some of them. "
"But teacher, this is treating the symptoms but not the root cause!"
"Ho ho." He Zhang laughed, stroked his beard and nodded, "Indeed!"
"Then why do you do this?"
"Does the eldest son still think that we will come back and take Shangrao down after all?"
"This is natural!"
"Then let me tell you, this time has three purposes:
Clean up the officials and make room for those who will be loyal to us in the future;
Kill the chickens to scare the monkeys and let the squires know that the swords of the rebels are not soft;
Needless to say, taking food from the enemy will eventually paralyze the opponent and make the officers and soldiers in Shangrao and Yushan think that our army is extremely short of food. This will help to easily capture Yushan! "
"Oh, that's it!" Lou Shiyong bowed deeply: "It's the teacher's foresight that the students admire!"
"Wrong!" He Zhang shook his head and smiled at the astonished Lou Shiyong: "It is my lord's idea to spread the news that our army is short of food and make the officers and soldiers relax their vigilance. I am just adding fuel to the flames!"
"So, Commander-in-Chief Father has already had the idea of attacking Yushan?"
"Of course. So my lord is wise!"
Lou Shiyong blinked, and then he realized that his father's scheming was so deep, and the son didn't even see through it.
"But, if Shangrao is paralyzed, why go to Yushan again? Isn't it better to just take out the big city instead of attacking a small one?" He thought and asked again.
"Good question!" He Zhang tapped his fingers on the table: "So let's go back to the original topic, can we defeat Shangrao? There are more than 10,000 defenders in the city, and our army's strength is basically the same.
However, the two defeats in Fengling Town and Guangxin made our strength weaker. Coupled with the lack of food and low morale, we were actually weaker than the defenders in the city, but the other side didn't know it yet.
I think the eldest son can agree with this? "
"Well, that's why we were discussing how to retreat gracefully."
"Yes! Do you still think we can capture Shangrao with a high city, a deep pool, a water fortress and a royal palace inside?"
"No." Lou Shi remained silent for a moment, then shook his head and replied.
"Therefore, by moving into Yushan, we can not only stabilize the morale of the army, but also seize the summer grain stored there that will not be turned over in time to supplement it. We can also recruit laborers and miners from around Yushan to join the army.
Wait until after the autumn harvest when the army is well-prepared, then march west again to attack Shangrao. This is the overall strategy in the lord's mind. Eldest Young Master, do you understand? "
"So that's it, I understand!" Lou Shiyong felt like a basin of water was pouring down from his head, and this time he truly understood.
"My father is still handsome and wise, and he is thoughtful!" He said this from the bottom of his heart. In the past, he always felt that it was too simple for the old man to just watch the scenery and sleep with women in the back, but little did he know that he always had a plan in his heart.
"Then the eldest son, do you know what to say and what to do when you visit Yin Tuo this time?" He Zhang stared at him and asked:
"If Yin Tuo moves, he will block the little thief in green for us, so that we can do whatever we can, and we can also scare Shangrao and attract his attention, so that our army can retreat from the city of Shangrao safely.
Otherwise, if Shangrao sends troops to follow closely, the lord's strategy of attacking Yushan will be difficult to realize, and in the end it will not be able to quench the thirst of the entire army. "
"Sir, that's right! Then, the student still has a question. How to take Yushan? If the army slowly retreats to Yushan, I'm afraid the enemy will have been alerted, and a siege battle will be inevitable."
He Zhang chuckled: "Don't worry, eldest young master, my lord has already done this ten days ago."
Secretly ordered Baima Captain Cao Liang to sneak into Yushan with his men. The eldest son only needs to lead a strange army and rush to the city at starry night to respond. "
"Let me go?"
"Yes!" He Linquan nodded proudly, twirling his beard: "You persuade Yin Tuo to use the grain, silver, and equipment brought by the regiment training from the west as bait, inform them of their transfer route, and prompt Yin Tuo to go down the mountain at night.
If he could defeat the enemy, seize the pontoon bridge, and reach Guangxin, he would be able to defeat the official army.
After Yin Tuo came out in full force, the second young master safely received the third young master and rushed to take over the Jiyang Mountain camp.
Eldest Young Master, you have worked so hard to return, and I will deploy elite troops in Chashan. You lead them to gallop and kill Benyushan at night and seize the city together. What do you think of this plan? "
"Teacher, do you want to give me military merit?" Lou Shiyong asked with a smile.
"My lord, throughout history, all the kings who founded a country were outstanding in martial arts, and those who succeeded the throne were mostly people who were good at fighting. Only in this way can the situation be stabilized and the world can be stabilized in two generations.
People say that Li Jiancheng was cowardly, which made Taizong's talents and military exploits stand out above him, but this is not the case!
Li Jiancheng's pacification of Henan and Liu Heita's pacification still took a while. Even so, he still lost to Taizong, why?
Because he mostly associates with scribes and alienates military officials. Although I tried my best to make up for it later, it was far behind!
I hope that the eldest son can learn from his past experience and be able to convince civil and military officials from the beginning, so that things can go smoothly in the future and avoid making the same mistakes again! "
He Zhang's words sounded harsh, but they were obviously from the bottom of his heart. Lou Shiyong was silent for a moment and saluted:
Mr. Shi Yong’s golden words should be kept in mind! I have something to ask of you..." He paused and said, "The Lou family of Chashan is from the same clan as my family. I hope you will be merciful, that's enough."
"Haha, this is natural, I don't have to worry about it." He Zhang smiled and nodded.
When the appointed time came, the people in Uesakadu began to get nervous.
Opposite the ferry, two walls were built with bamboo reinforced concrete. The wall was seven feet high from the bottom to the top of the crenel;
The north road extends to the west and then turns south to connect with the left bank of Lixi River, with a total length of about 160 steps;
The other one is shorter, basically running north-south, about fifty paces long, with a gap of more than twenty paces wide between the two being defended by horseback.
Zuoying and the Bird Gun Team were responsible for guarding here, forming a bridgehead to protect the ferry.
The river suddenly narrows at Shangban Ferry. Setting up a pontoon here does not require much material, but the water speed increases and the water depth increases, which is a problem.
Zhou Qin's original idea was to use ships to lay planks, but he soon discovered that this would not work. Not only was the pontoon itself unstable, but it could not carry a fully loaded carriage, let alone the heavy truck modified by Li Dan.
So Li Dan decided to build a semi-permanent bridge.
First, the original pontoon is temporarily retained.
Li Dan asked everyone to make cement boards in the same way as adobe bricks. Each block was about a fist thick and three feet square in size, with a hole in the middle for the bridge piles and wooden posts, about a hand in diameter.
The prefabricated cement boards are allowed to dry in two days. The bridge piles are laid first, and people with good water resistance "guide" them one by one. The prefabricated cement boards are inserted from above the bridge piles and sunk into the water to form five-foot-high cement "strings." .
A rectangular basket filled with large pebbles is used to make a caisson, and a deep well is built around the "chuanchuan". Each well is seven or nine feet wide (the middle two are slightly wider) and one foot six feet long.
Finally, auxiliary piles are installed in the well and filled with gravel and cement to the top.
A total of four bridge piers were built, and two tower doors were erected on the middle two piers. The pulleys, winches and thick and strong rattan ropes above the tower doors were used to control the lifting and leveling of the middle bridge plate, so that even upstream and downstream It is also accessible by boat.
Timber joints, prefabricated panels and cement all speed up the construction process of the bridge. After it is built, the pontoon bridge is dismantled because the boat has to be returned to the water village.
Supported by sturdy piers, the bridge can handle heavy goods vehicles and a small number of pedestrians at the same time.
Lou Shiming heard that a bridge suddenly appeared on the river overnight, and he quickly rode over with five or six followers to check it out.
After looking at the place three hundred steps away from the bridgehead for a long time, he turned to Mo Xueyi and said:
"This Li Sanlang is really capable. He actually changed a soft bridge into a hard bridge so quickly. It's a pity that he is from the army, otherwise he is really a talented person who can help the world and prosper the country!"
The agreed repatriation of prisoners and material transfer began at You time (17:00).
Zuoying is responsible for guarding the bridgehead. Defense is Xiao Wanhe's specialty. Most of Zuoying is here, leaving two teams to guard the bridgehead on the other side.
There is Lin Shun Tang's No. 2 Squadron in the bridgehead ready to respond at any time. Behind the hillside on the other side of the river is the entire Youying and Luo You (Right Hook)'s No. 4 Squadron. They will set off with the first batch of supplies after the operation begins and march to the north of Shuizhai. Ambush outside the door.
The entire front camp and the third squadron of Gao Hanzi (monk) sat quietly beside the carriage of the team. They will follow the second batch of baggage and 600 civilians directly to the north gate of the water village, and then form a guard there.
The officers and soldiers led by Sheng Huai'en (including the reformed troops of Tie Chuozi and Shi Sannian) gathered at the foot of the southeastern mountain of Huangling Ridge. They were the preparations for the entire army.
At Dayuan Ferry, Ma Jiu's escort team and his nephew Song Xiaoniu's suppression team were in charge of repatriation. Behind them, in the bamboo forest on their right, were ambushing Tan Zhongxiao's rear camp and Liu She's (Tie Linglong) No. 1 squadron.
At this time, in the brightly lit Chinese military tent at Jiyangshan Camp, Yin Tuo had not yet made up his mind.
Although Lou Shiyong brought the promise of becoming a king and making Geyang his fiefdom, everyone also congratulated him with "thousand years old, thousand years old" for a long time. But for some reason, he always felt uneasy.
Yin Tuo is a man in his early thirties, of medium height, with sideburns, thick eyebrows, and a flat nose (the result of a fight), which makes his appearance look very vicious.
But in fact, this guy is quite calculating and clever. Otherwise, even Lou Zishi could only hate him so much.
He was originally a temple-protecting monk in a Fujian temple. He was wanted for killing a squire's daughter, so he went to work in a silver mine in the mountains.
During the confrontation with the tax supervisor and the army, he was elected as the leader of the supervisor due to his outstanding martial arts, and gradually began to gain fame. Because he always kept his hair long, he was nicknamed "Yin Tuo".
Before Lou Shi used it this time, he had already heard a little about the results of the battles from Fengqiguan to Dayuan Ferry from the defeated troops who had come back to rely on them.
Although he didn't say it out loud, he knew it in his heart. Haha, the Lou family and his son couldn't beat him, so he came to ask for help. But why should I go down the mountain to clean up the mess for you?
"Report! Report to Chitose, we were ordered to go to the Shangban Ferry to check. We saw the enemy gathering at the ferry. There were many carriages on both sides of the river. We didn't see any officers and soldiers. We only saw the Geyang Guards regiment training and the Guangxin Northland inspection team. banner."
The information brought back by the sentry didn't seem to touch Yin Tuo much. He remained expressionless and couldn't tell what this guy was thinking.
Some of the subordinates were impatient, stretching their necks to look at the sky outside the tent, and constantly exchanging glances with each other, but no one dared to take the lead. In this family, the one sitting at the head is definitely the head!
"Look, His Highness King Ge, am I right? Don't worry, the officers and soldiers are all attracted by my second brother to Dayuan Ferry. Only the militia are here to escort and escort." Lou Shiyong pretended to be relaxed and took a sip of Feng. Milk nectar, put down the wine cup and said:
"In order to send the baggage across the river, they even built a bridge. It is precisely because God does not take it, but suffers from it. By seizing the baggage and conquering Guangxin, His Highness will have the capital to march westward.
My father and my son have absolute trust. As long as Ge Yang calls, the special envoy who has been given the title of king will come to the army. "
"It's not that I don't trust you father and son. I also know Lou Shuai's intention in sending you here." Yin Tuo nodded slightly while holding the wine cup:
"This wine is good, really. But why do I always feel that the profit from this transaction is not as big as you said?"
"Twenty thousand stones of grain and fodder, several thousand taels of silver as military pay, as well as armor and weapons, and maybe even a Guangxin City. Why, your Highness, don't you think it's enough?" Lou Shiyong deliberately used the title "Your Highness" so well Loud and clear.
"Tsk. I said, "Your Highness, Your Highness, okay? We haven't done that yet."
Even though the commander-in-chief has not yet entered Shangrao and became the king, you must be humble! You might as well call me general, it sounds more pleasant to your ears. "
Yin Tuo's words made Lou Shiyong and other subordinates feel a little embarrassed, as if their hot cheeks were pressed against their cold buttocks.
"Yin Tuo, why do you talk to the eldest son in such a tone?" Liang Xie, the general of the military guard who came with Lou Shiyong, couldn't help but jump up and shouted angrily:
"No matter what, you are still Lou Shuai's subordinate now. It's obvious to all how much Lou Shuai treats you, and now he wants to make you king. But you are aloof and your words are neither salty nor cool, do you seem to be repaying your kindness?"
"General Liang, calm down and calm down. We are one of our own and there is no need to do this. My... general is cold-faced and warm-hearted. Everyone knows this. How could he not be grateful for the commander-in-chief's kindness?" The counselor Qianzhong hurriedly stood up to smooth things over.
"Don't worry, eldest son, Yintuo is not a villain." The person who spoke was Yintuo's "strategist" whose surname was Zhang Zishan. This man was a Taoist priest, and his nickname was homophoned as "Zishan", so ordinary people called him Zishan Taoist. long.
"It's just that he has some doubts in his mind that haven't been resolved yet." The purple-shirted Taoist priest said, glanced at Yin Tuo, laughed dryly and asked:
"Master, we don't tell lies in front of real people. If there are so many benefits, why does the commander-in-chief not take it for himself but give it to my subordinates?"
"Why, the Taoist priest thinks that the commander-in-chief is wrong for doing this?" Lou Shiyong put down his wine cup and asked coldly.
"What are you talking about? The Taoist priest is just asking the general to ask the eldest son to clarify his doubts. Isn't it Taoist priest?" Qianzhong came to wipe the mud again.
“We are all here to work hard, and every word, deed, and decision we make affects the life and death of thousands of brothers.
Please forgive me, the eldest son. Yin Tuo felt that it was not easy to say it out of consideration for the commander-in-chief's kindness. The old man had a thick skin and became the villain for him. "The purple-robed Taoist priest was neither humble nor arrogant. He pointed his palm upward at everyone in the tent:.
"All of you here are lieutenants and lieutenants under the general's command. Who has not been a member of the rebel army for a long time and has been through life and death? We are not afraid of death, but we cannot die needlessly.
Now it is estimated that most people have heard about the fact that the second and third generals were unsuccessful in the battle and retreated from Fengqiguan to Dayuandu.
As a matter of fact, there is nothing embarrassing to say.
But under such circumstances, if you want to persuade the general to lead us to capture Uesaka Bridge, you must tell the truth so that we can have an idea and make a plan before sending troops, right?
However, the eldest son didn't seem to provide any useful information other than drinking and urging when he came to the camp! "
"Uh..., what the Taoist Master said is true. Sir, do you think? Can you tell me the beginning and end of these battles?" Qianzhong asked tentatively.
Lou Shiyong knew that this situation seemed unavoidable, so he cupped his fists towards Yin Tuo and said, "Hearing what the Taoist Master said, it seems that Shi Yong didn't think carefully. Please don't blame General Huang Yan and you guys.
In fact, it is not because we have something to hide or because we want you to go into battle to fight for your lives. It is because we have suffered a lot of losses in the past few battles. At present, we only have enough to besiege Shangrao and are unable to divide our troops. "
After saying that, he gave everyone a general overview of the battles since Fengqiguan.
However, they concealed the wine business and only said that Lou Shifan was caught off guard first and was infiltrated from behind. Then Chow Tai Fook was attacked from a flank, and Lou Shiming was ambushed halfway, etc. He gave everyone a rough outline of the situation.
