Song Che originally wanted to stay in Chuzhou until the first artillery piece landed, but unexpectedly an urgent military report disrupted his rhythm——
The Huainan army besieged Longkou Mountain for only ten days before Wang Li was kidnapped by Japanese pirates and brought down the mountain. More than 2,000 Japanese pirates raised their hands and surrendered.
Not long ago, a basket of human heads was delivered to the military camp. Each head contained a note in its mouth:
"If we don't let him go, Yancheng will be massacred!"
How arrogant!
"Prepare the car and return to camp!"
As soon as he received the military report, Song Che left Chuzhou City and rushed back to Yancheng in a hurry.
When we arrived at the military camp, it was late at night.
The lights in the military camp were brightly lit, and the soldiers were ready for battle.
"Mr. Bai, you are back."
The whole army, with high and low ranks, was waiting in the big tent.
Song Che took off his robe, dusted off the snow, and asked the first question: "Is the news about the attack on Yancheng true?"
Gao Chen said: "The troops stationed at Longkou Port have detected Japanese pirate warships wandering around in the past few days. News has also come from the direction of Taizhou that a large number of Japanese pirates have been withdrawn and are gathering in Chuzhou. I am afraid that there will be a scene in Yancheng this time. There’s a big war.”
Song Che hummed and looked at the crowd of civil servants and generals: "Everyone, what do you think?"
"Of course we're going to fight! The Japanese pirates declared a war on human heads. With such provocation, are they trying to deceive our Daliang army into not being bloody?"
"Yes, sooner or later there will be a war, there is no way to avoid it!"
"Generals, fighting depends on strength. Now Yancheng only has more than 20,000 navy and army troops, and more than 80 warships, but the opponent claims to have an army of 50,000, and more than 1,000 large and small warships! Yancheng is only a small corner. The city wall is so low and there is no moat, so how can we resist Japanese pirates?"
"Yes, there are salt fields for seventy or eighty miles outside Yancheng. Let's not talk about whether this battle will be won or not. Even if we fight a protracted war, these salt fields will definitely be affected. By then, most of the people in Huainan will have no salt to eat. !”
"In my opinion, it is better to think of a delaying strategy first. After enough ships have been built, the city wall has been built high, the city river has been dug out, and the salt field has been moved, it will not be too late for a decisive battle."
"Absurd! There is no war that does not waste people and money. Those who are afraid of this or that will always be bullied by them! The delaying strategy you mentioned is obviously to send Wang Li and others back to surrender to them? "
"If we can resolve the crisis without losing any blood, why not do it? The people of Yancheng think the same way."
"In my opinion, it's clear that you are cowards! You don't have to carry swords on the battlefield, you are just afraid of a bird feather!"
"You're right! It's precisely because of you cowards and rotten people that the war has dragged on to this day. Let me tell you, everyone who can't go into battle should be thrown out by me!"
"You, you, you... If you say so, then it's time for Mr. Bai to go out, right?"
Military generals are in charge of war, and civilian officials are in charge of peace. It seems that they have been two opposing factions since ancient times.
The argument that military generals should be used to curb the cowardice of civilian officials, and the rationality of civilian officials should be used to curb the recklessness of military generals, seems to Song Che to be very reasonable.
The pros and cons are clear from this quarrel.
"Hahaha……"
Song Che laughed.
Everyone expressed doubts.
Song Che smiled and said: "Generals, please observe and join the army. It's already late at night. You might as well go back to your camp to rest. Sir Gao, General Bao and General Kang, please leave me a message if you are tired."
Gao Chen waved his hand, and all the civil and military officials retreated.
When he was finally quiet, Song Che came to the sand table and stared at the layout thoughtfully.
Seeing that Song Che had been silent for a long time, Gao Chen poured a cup of hot tea himself and handed it over: "Mr. Bai, do you want to fight or make peace?"
Song Che took the teacup, held it in his hands to warm it, shook his head and said: "The Japanese pirates are nothing more than snakes and rats, and our Daliang army is the army of tigers and wolves. How can we make peace with them?"
Kang Han praised: "Although military advisors are also scholars, their moral integrity is hundreds of times higher than those corrupt scholars!"
Gao Chen was much more rational and said: "But the concerns of the civil servants are true. The low walls of Yancheng can be climbed up with ordinary ladders; even if civilian ships are called in to join them, the navy will only have a hundred ships. The Japanese pirates’ claim of an army of 50,000 is just an illusion, but in reality it will definitely be no less than our army; the navy and army in Taizhou and Tongzhou have been restrained, and the Japanese pirates will definitely not let them come to help easily. Alas... this big battle really comes at the wrong time.”
"No, this battle comes at the right time!"
Song Che first consoled him: "Don't worry, Sir Gao, just listen to my analysis of the overall situation——
As the saying goes, "Know yourself and the enemy and you will be safe in a hundred battles." The Japanese pirates counted 30,000 men and 300 warships. They also controlled the sea area and could advance or retreat. This was their advantage;
Although our army was inferior to them in numbers and warships, we occupied the city and controlled Longkou Port. We had strong horse and infantry, advanced guns and artillery, and the determination to protect our country;
Japanese pirates are invaders. The ranks of pirates, ronin, and Japanese soldiers are scattered and do not speak the same language. How can a group of selfish plunderers unite as one?
Moreover, the Japanese pirates had no horses, only infantry, and the siege equipment must be insufficient;
Use our strengths to attack the enemy's weaknesses, use our weaknesses to avoid the enemy's strengths, this is the key to victory;
Since our army does not have enough warships, we will not engage in naval battles with them. If we let them land on the mainland, they will become something in my pocket;
Longkou Port is the closest to Yancheng, and they will definitely land here. However, the port has been blown up by General Bao. If the Japanese pirates want to land, they must seize the beach. There is no port and pier, and large ships cannot enter, so they can only charge with small boats;
The advantages and disadvantages of small boats are that they attack quickly and retreat slowly. If they want to avoid being washed away by the waves, they must dock in groups. "
He smiled and asked: "Master Gao, do you still remember how to win against the Japanese pirates in Hangzhou?"
Gao Chen exclaimed: "A plan to attack with fire from ships!"
"Yes, even ships should be attacked with fire, but this war is different from Hangzhou. Burning even ships can only be used as a supplement, not as the main force;"
Song Che paused and looked at Kang Han first:
"If the Japanese pirates forcefully cross Longkou Port, our army can be divided into two groups. General Kang will lead 5,000 people on the other side to fight the Japanese pirates at Longkou Port. Remember, we can only lose but not win. This will cause our army to resist vigorously, but cannot The illusion of the enemy;”
Then he looked at Bao Dayou:
"When I attacked the third pass before, I observed a bamboo forest at the foot of the mountain in the direction connecting the port. It grew densely and was very suitable for hiding;
General Bao assigned 3,000 men, armed with Molotov cocktails and explosives for another route, to hide in the bamboo forest and watch what happened;
General Kang was defeated and retreated, and the Japanese pirates succeeded in seizing the beach. His arrogance would definitely increase, and he would mobilize his army to pursue the victory;
When the Japanese pirate army approaches the city, I have a clever plan to delay their attack;
When the time comes, I will order people to light a beacon fire in Yancheng. When General Bao sees the smoke, he leads his army out of the bamboo forest and goes straight to the Japanese pirate ships, burning their ships and cutting off their retreat!
Without a dock, large ships cannot enter, and even if Japanese pirates come for reinforcements, they cannot arrive in time;
If General Bao succeeds and uses Bolide as his signal, then all the troops in the city will come out and attack from both front and rear, and this battle will be won! "
He then said to Gao Chen: "Mr. Gao, since they sent their heads, why don't we return him two baskets, chop off the heads of Wang Biao and Xu Tao, and send them to them with a few jugs of urine and wine."
Gao Chen praised: "Very good!"
"Hey, military advisor, Wang Li is the leader of the thieves, why don't you kill him?" Kang Han was puzzled.
"If Wang Li dies, Wang Zhi may not come. A living person is more valuable than a dead person," Song Che said with a smile, "Besides, I have other uses for Wang Li."
"Then, prepare for war!"
…
