Two days later, tens of thousands of people gathered in Yancheng again and marched toward the coal mines and iron mines, while Xu Ling led the people practicing salt and set off again to the coast. The transport team of 200 people previously recruited was divided into four groups, each group of fifty people, equipped with newly forged steel knives and daggers from the iron smelting plant and the latest single-shot crossbow arrows. It is slow, but after Zhao Bin's improvement, the design is more accurate. The hit rate within two hundred steps is definitely over 90%, and it can give the enemy an effective long-range strike before the enemy comes into contact. The brothers in the transportation team will often perform transportation tasks outside in the future. Whether they are transporting salt or grain, the risks of being outside for a long time will definitely be very high. Zhao Bin originally wanted to build complete outdoor individual equipment for them, but time was too tight and he couldn't do it at the moment. After everything was packed up, the transportation team also headed for Weizhou City on the north bank of the Yellow River, and they requested to receive a new batch of grain.
Zhao Bin stood on the city wall, watching the leaving crowd gradually disappear into the desolate land, the cold wind blew by, kicking up bursts of dust.
"Your Majesty, it's windy outside, why don't you go sit in the attic?" Qin Fang asked tentatively.
Zhao Bin turned his head and glanced at the Yancheng Captain. He was a man in his thirties. His face had the marks left by the years, and his eyes had a persistent and determined look. Zhao Bin couldn't help but smile. He was thinking about what if Qin Fangxiang was taken away. At the top of the city, would it be a big shock to the Jie people?
Qin Fang looked down at himself, and then asked, "Why is the prince laughing? Is there anything wrong with the general?"
"Nothing. By the way, Lieutenant Qin, based on your experience, when will those Bai Maojie tribe invade?" Zhao Bin looked at Qin Fang and asked.
Qin Fang turned to look at the rolling mountains to the west: "In March of spring, when the ice and snow on the grasslands melt, these barbarians who have endured the whole winter will climb over the mountains and ridges, and presumably there will be more people coming this year. "Last year, due to the conflict with the Xiongnu tribe in the west, they were unable to come to plunder food during the autumn harvest. If they reach a reconciliation with the Huns, then more tribes should come to the border to plunder this year."
"Then how did you deal with it in previous years?"
Qin Fang said with some embarrassment: "Let's not talk about the response. The general's duty is to guard Yan City. As for the people outside the city, there is nothing we can do. In the past, we had no horses and could not catch up with the Jie people. When we arrive, By the time, it’s always too late.”
"Is it useful to set up an ambush where they must pass?" Zhao Bin asked in confusion.
"Your Majesty, Yancheng is located on a flat surface and is open on all sides. Horses can ride everywhere. In fact, there is nothing that must be passed through. There are many forest paths to travel through in the mountains to the north and west. It is difficult to accurately locate where they want to go. Which way, and there are fewer people going, maybe they will all be wiped out. The general is ordered to guard Yan City, and he dare not move out easily, otherwise Yan City will be in danger."
Zhao Bin looked at Qin Fang with a helpless look. There were only a few thousand defenders in Yancheng. The Jie people were very cunning. They made full use of the mobility of the cavalry to attack in small groups and dispersed to various places to plunder. They are entangled with you, but once they gather together, they are extremely lethal and can attack the county government at any time. If there are tens of thousands of people, they dare to attack the county city. This also caused Qin Fang to fall into the dilemma of whether to fight or not to fight.
"Now that Captain Qin has a war horse, do you have any good ideas?"
Qin Fang smiled bitterly and said, "Your Majesty won't mention the matter of the war horse today. I'm afraid the general will have to go to Your Majesty and talk about it in the next two days."
"What's the meaning?"
"Your Majesty did give us war horses, but there were not that many stirrups and saddles for the war horses. I just scraped together more than 200 pairs of them. The soldiers trained in turns. I originally wanted to declare to the court and ask for them. A batch of stirrups and saddles, but instead of giving a reply, the Ministry of War sent an order to ask for the horses, or else the horses would be handed over to the Ministry of War."
"You agreed?"
"No, the general said that the war horse was lent to the general by the King of Yan and had no right to transfer it to the Ministry of War. The Ministry of War also used this as an excuse to say that since it is not a war horse of the imperial court, it naturally cannot be equipped with stirrups, saddles and other items."
"Captain Qin is so scheming that he pushed me forward as a shield?" Zhao Bin said with a reproachful expression.
"Your Majesty, please forgive me. It was not because I pushed you out as a shield. I know that Your Majesty gave thousands of war horses to me in the hope that I can use these horses to protect the people of Yancheng. Naturally, I will not take it easy." Hand over the war horse, and even if it is really handed over to the court, it will be the prince who will hand it over, and it will not be the future's turn to take the credit."
Qin Fang spoke word by word, and Zhao Bin listened word by word. That night, when he entertained King Heng in Prince Yan's Mansion, Zhao Bin said that the Jie people would pay their debt with blood. At that moment, Qin Fang's blood was hot. , he thought of his parents, his tribe, and the people who died tragically under the iron hoofs of the Jie tribe. Qin Fang secretly swore in his heart that if that day comes, he, Qin Fang, will definitely go into battle wearing armor and be the first to rush to the Jie tribe. The tribe's camp, using the sword in his hand to avenge the death of his parents and relatives. He remembered Zhao Bin's words, so when he left, he turned back and took a deep look at Zhao Bin.
Zhao Bin took a deep breath and said: "There are two thousand pairs of stirrups in the iron smelting factory. You can send someone to get them. There are no saddles, but there are still a lot of sheepskins in the palace. You can learn from the Jie people and use sheepskins. Saddles, I'll make them for you when I get the chance."
Qin Fang was a little surprised and said: "Have you known that the prince would come to ask for stirrups in the end?"
"Fuck, what do you mean I knew it earlier, but I also do know that sooner or later you will come to ask for it, because you can't get anything from the court at all, but you know, you know, it didn't exist at that time. You also saw that these iron ores are all The common people dug it out in the cold winter months."
"I understand, I will thank you, Your Majesty."
Zhao Bin waved his hand and continued: "Getting back to the subject, even if you are equipped with these equipment, the soldiers' current abilities still cannot compete with the Jie cavalry. Riding training cannot be mastered in a short period of time. Those Jie people have been on horseback since they were young. He grew up and is especially good at riding and shooting. If you want to resist the plunder of the Jie tribe, you cannot rely on these thousands of soldiers alone, you must establish a complete set of defense mechanisms."
"The general is stupid, please show me." Qin Fang asked curiously.
"First, we need to establish a reconnaissance system, that is, scouts. We select people who are good at riding horses from the soldiers guarding the city. They work in groups of three to conduct frequent reconnaissance activities in the west and north directions. Once the Jie tribe's people are discovered, Traces will be reported as soon as possible, and people in surrounding villages and towns will be notified to take precautions, or hide and evacuate in time to reduce casualties.
Second, the people in villages and towns must be armed as necessary to have the ability to fight back and continuously attack and consume the enemy's effective strength. Especially when the number of enemies is relatively small, the people can rely on villages and towns. Let the cavalry lose the advantage of charging, and then carry out effective counterattacks and kills in villages and towns, of course within their ability.
Third, establish a mobile reinforcement force. Once it is discovered that the Jie people are attacking the village, the cavalry can be sent out immediately for reinforcements to strangle the enemy troops who enter the country to plunder as much as possible. "
Zhao Bin told Qin Fang one by one the three measures he thought about. Firstly, Zhao Bin did not have an army in his own hands, so Qin Fang needed to cooperate with the implementation. Secondly, arming the people was not a trivial matter, because once the people carried out the Armed, there is the possibility of rebellion. Such things are not allowed in any dynasty. He needs to reach an agreement with the captain, otherwise if this matter is brought to the court, it will be washed away by jumping into the Yellow River. sin.
After listening to Zhao Bin's plan, Qin Fang said: "Your Majesty, the first and third items are easy to talk about, but do you need to ask the court for instructions on the second item? If you rashly distribute weapons to the people, you will worry that the court will Someone is bad for you.”
Zhao Bin said calmly: "I know, but if this matter is reported to the court, there will definitely be obstruction from the court. However, I will submit it to my father in the name of a family letter, but it will take time to go back and forth, and the most important thing at the moment is It can protect the safety of the people. Therefore, I plan to carry out both at the same time. The first and third items will be handed over to Qin Duwei. The second item, I will find a way to implement. However, if one day the court really wants to pursue it, I, Zhao Bin, am responsible for this, and I hope Captain Qin will not stand idly by when the time comes."
Qin Fang clasped his fists with both hands and gave a deep salute and said: "I admire your lord's righteousness. I am willing to gamble with you. If the court pursues the case, your lord can pass the responsibility on to you. I have no relatives in my family. I, Qin Fang, Fang is willing to take on this responsibility alone."
Wang Wu, who had been following behind him, couldn't bear to listen anymore: "Damn, Qin Fang, what do you mean, is my prince like that?"
"Captain Xuanjie misunderstood. It's not that I slandered the prince. I meant that Qin Fang has nothing to worry about and it doesn't matter if he dies. But the prince is different. The prince belongs to the people of Yancheng and must not suffer any loss. If the court holds him accountable, I, Qin Fang, am willing to bear the responsibility alone."
"Bullshit, can the prince let you bear the responsibility alone?" Wang Wu replied with a righteous tone.
"Brother Wu, can you shut up?" Zhao Bin interrupted Wang Wu. He didn't want Lao Wu to be wiped away by this wave of presence. "Wang Wu is right. I will not let you take the responsibility for this matter. Don't worry. We don't have much time left. The cavalry must hurry up and train."
"Don't worry, Your Majesty, this matter will be left to the general." Qin Fang said firmly.
