As soon as the third plan of the Three Crazy Abbots came out, Xiang Xuanwu suddenly broke out in cold sweat, his face was filled with fear, and his hands were even trembling slightly!
After all, he was a general, so why was he so scared?
Very good!
Because this third strategy is too powerful and vicious!
In fact, as early as the Western Han Dynasty, in the famous Mobei War, the Huns used the strategy of burying dead livestock next to water sources to spread the plague to deal with the Han Dynasty's army.
As a result, many people in the Han army were infected with the disease, and their combat effectiveness was greatly weakened. It is said that Huo Qubing, the god of war, died young because he accidentally drank contaminated spring water.
The problem is, this move is not only powerful, it is also a double-edged sword that can kill both the enemy and yourself!
Because the plague can spread very quickly, regardless of whether it is friend or foe, everyone who is infected will get sick.
When the Huns used this move, they indeed greatly weakened the strength of the Han army, but there were also many people on their side who were infected with the disease, resulting in a sharp decline in the population and a great loss of vitality!
Similarly, if you use this move to deal with the Jurchens, you can certainly destroy countless enemies, but the soldiers and civilians in Baichengzi will not escape disaster!
Therefore, Xiang Xuanwu shook his head repeatedly and said: "No, absolutely not, this method of spreading the plague is too vicious, and it kills one thousand enemies and damages eight hundred, it is really harmful to the peace of heaven!"
"General Xiang, the enemy is strong and we are weak, and the situation is extremely critical. If we want to defeat the enemy, we must use some extraordinary means. Otherwise, once Baichengzi is lost, the Jurchens will definitely massacre the city. Then there will be no use in having more Tianhe. ?」
"But...but..."
"There is nothing to worry about. Our Ming Dynasty has a population of over 100 million, a vast land and rich products, while the Jurchen population is only a few hundred thousand, living in poor mountains and rivers, with extremely scarce supplies. In terms of national strength alone, the Ming Dynasty is more than a hundred times better than the Jurchens.
However, since the Wanli, Taichang, Tianqi, and Chongzhen dynasties, the Ming Dynasty and the Jurchens have fought hundreds of battles, large and small, and nine out of ten losers. Even the important areas in the capital and the capital have been looted by the Jurchens. It can be said that they have lost their face. Why is this? ?
Just because the Jurchen people are tough and wolf-like in nature, while the Ming Dynasty has a large population but lacks martial spirit and is as weak as a sheep. How can a sheep be invincible in a fight with a wolf?
If you want to defeat the wolf, you have to be more ruthless and poisonous than the wolf. Let alone injuring the enemy a thousand times and damaging yourself eight hundred. As long as you can win this battle, you can injure the enemy one thousand and injure yourself three thousand. Why not! "
"What the master said makes sense, but...but...isn't there a safer way? Even if we don't have to kill as many of our own people!"
"A safer way... I heard that General Qin's wife is a master of Xinglin and has very superb medical skills. We can discuss with her to see if we can boil some decoction to prevent the plague and let the soldiers and civilians in the city drink it. It may be effective. Reduce casualties!"
"Okay, that's it, let's go to the General's Mansion immediately!"
…
Yuan Chonghuan's words can be said to be bloody and every sentence is like a knife!
Xiang Xuanwu hesitated for a long time, and after repeatedly weighing the pros and cons, he finally bit his molar and nodded, but he wanted to ask Jin Yuniang for the opinion of the general's wife.
So, the two of them came to the general's mansion together, explained the situation to Jin Yuniang, and asked for opinions.
Jin Yuniang didn't say anything, but immediately
He summoned people, took out a large amount of medicinal materials from the warehouse, set up hundreds of large iron pots, and began to brew a decoction that could prevent the plague.
Action is the best answer.
This time Xiang Xuanwu no longer hesitated and began to implement the third strategy!
In the past two years, through transactions with the Chahar Ministry, the Tianwei Army has obtained a large number of cattle, sheep, horses, and camels.
However, these livestock have dedicated personnel to take care of them. Only the animals raised are fat and strong, and rarely get sick. Occasionally, if a few get sick, the veterinarian will treat them immediately.
If it cannot be cured, it will be taken to a remote wilderness and buried in a deep pit to avoid infecting other livestock. This is a rule set by Qin Feng and implemented very well.
We need sick animals now, but we can't find any.
what to do?
It’s easy to handle, just look for a doctor if you don’t have a problem!
Xiang Xuanwu ordered people to select more than two hundred relatively thin goats, and added several tonic and hot medicinal materials such as cinnabar, realgar, euphorbia, arsenic, etc. to the forage. After they had eaten and drank enough, the medicinal effects took effect. When the time comes, pour cold water on your body.
As a result, in just half a day, more than 200 sheep fell ill. Their bodies were boiling hot and they fell to the ground dying. Some of them were frothing at the mouth.
The soldiers were then ordered to take these sick goats out of the city and bury them in the mud on both sides of the canal. In a few days, the goat carcasses would deteriorate and rot, and the disease would spread into the canal water.
Then, no matter humans or animals, as long as they drink the water from the canal, they will be infected with the epidemic virus. They will become feverish, weak, vomiting and diarrhea... until they die!
At the same time, Jin Yuniang led people to brew a large amount of soup. People in Baichengzi, regardless of men, women, old and young, drank two large bowls of it every day.
Not only people, but also cattle, sheep, horses, camels and other livestock must open their mouths and forcefully drink two bowls of them to prevent the epidemic and ensure that nothing happens!
In addition, Xiang Xuanwu also issued two orders: First, from now on, all soldiers and civilians will use well water in the city and are not allowed to use water from long canals. They are not allowed to even wash clothes or drink livestock. This is against the law. Kill without mercy!
Second, a group of soldiers were arranged to go near the canal every day, pretending to fetch water, and deliberately leaving some traces.
Naturally, this was done to confuse the Jurchens, so that the Jurchens would not be suspicious and would not fetch water from the canal, and the hard-working plan would be in vain.
At this point, all three days of clever plans have been implemented according to the rules.
Even so, Xiang Xuanwu was still worried and simply lived and ate on the city tower. He held a long knife in his hand and did not take off his armor. During the day, he mobilized troops and generals to strengthen defense, and at night he patrolled in person to prevent unexpected events. He really used all his energy. Got it!
Yuan Chonghuan did not return to the temple, but lived with him in the tower, waiting for the arrival of the Jurchen army.
………
On November 20, the sixth year of Chongzhen, it was a cloudy day with gusty winds and extremely cold weather.
At noon, from the highest observation deck on the north side of Baichengzi, a black smoke more than ten feet high rose, drifting in the wind and lingering for a long time... This meant that the enemy had arrived.
Sure enough, soon, a dozen Jurchen rangers appeared in the wilderness to the north, running back and forth to observe the situation.
After a while, the number of rangers increased and they got closer and closer to Baichengzi.
After another half an hour, a large group of people appeared.
"Da da da!"
"Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu"
Looking at it, there are about fifty to sixty thousand people, a huge black area. It can be said that they are like a tide of people and horses, with flags like a sea, horns like thunder, and shouts shaking the sky!
Advancing to about a mile away from the moat, the tens of thousands of troops stopped. Then with a burst of shouts, more than a dozen white-armored soldiers rushed out from the formation. They galloped in front of the formation and kept making horseback supports. , one-leg hanging ring, immediate handstand and other difficult movements, winning bursts of applause.
White-armored soldiers, also called Bagara, are the most elite members of the Jurchen army. All of them are courageous and highly skilled in martial arts. They must have a level of beheading or above to obtain this title.
And among the Jurchen army, the number of white-armored soldiers is very small. Take the Zhenglan Banner led by Mang Gurtai as an example. It has twenty-five Niulu subjects, and its strength can be ranked at the middle level among the Eight Banners. The white-armored soldiers There are only more than 200 people, which shows how cherished they are.
The number of white-armored soldiers is sparse. They usually serve as guards for the flag master and do not participate in battles. They will only come out to charge into battle when encountering difficult battles or some special circumstances!
For example, now, more than a dozen white-armored soldiers are galloping in front of the formation, showing off their skills, in order to increase the prestige of their side and destroy the vigor of the Baichengzi defenders!
But then, a surprising scene happened.
"boom!"
A white-armored soldier rushed to the edge of the moat on horseback, wanting to demonstrate his superb shooting skills at close range. Unexpectedly, he had just drawn his bow and nocked an arrow, and when he was looking for the target, there was a loud noise underneath him.
After the loud noise, the white-armored soldier and his mount were blown up.
His body was covered with blood and flesh, and he fell on the edge of the moat. Some parts even flew several feet away. It was obvious that he could not survive.
"Boom...boom!"
After discovering the situation, the two white-armored soldiers rushed out to see if their companions were alive or dead. Unexpectedly, as soon as they arrived nearby, they were all blown up into the sky with two loud noises.
Only then did the rest of the white-armored soldiers understand that there were soaring mines buried near the moat. Once stepped on, they would be dead. So they no longer dared to come over to show off their power and retreated to the formation in dejection.
…
The death of three white-armored soldiers was just a drop in the bucket for an army of tens of thousands.
But in front of the two armies, he was killed by a bomb while showing off his power, and his death was very miserable. Even the corpses were incomplete. This inevitably cast some shadows in the hearts of other Jurchen soldiers, and the originally high morale also dropped slightly!
"Boom...boom!"
"Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu"
On the other hand, the Tianwei Army guarding the city was buzzing with drums and trumpets, and their morale was greatly boosted!
Before the war started, they won for a while and greatly boosted their morale. Abbot Three Idiots' plan was really powerful!
