Yang Ling ascended the tall platform. Two rows of personal guards with podaos lined up in front of the platform, facing the officers and soldiers of the various departments. The gleaming podaos were carried on their shoulders with the blades pointing upwards, as if they would strike out at any moment. Coupled with their swift and fierce physiques and grim expressions, it was a daunting sight.
Li Sen stood in front of the platform and gave a speech to motivate the soldiers before the battle. Although he did not read much, this speech was written by his advisor in advance. It was elegant and eloquent, and it made the civil and military officials' blood boil.
The content of the speech was nothing more than praising the Sichuan army for being good at fighting, saying that everyone present was the elite of the army, then talking about their military superiority and confidence in victory. Finally, he led the crowd to shout the slogan, "As long as the country is not destroyed, we will not dare to be defeated." The speech came to a successful conclusion.
The wind on the platform blew, causing Yang Ling's cloak to flutter. After Li Sen finished speaking, he took off his cloak and handed it to the lieutenant beside him. Then, he took a step forward. Li Sen moved to the side to make way, and all the soldiers' gazes fell on Yang Ling in unison.
Yang Ling took a deep breath and said loudly, "A country has its laws, and an army has its rules!"
Although his voice was loud, it could only be heard clearly within a radius of several dozen feet. However, the various departments had their own messengers who could pass on his words. Yang Ling paused for a moment before continuing, "In this expedition, I will pass down orders to the three armies. The following seven prohibitions are not to be violated. Those who violate them will be executed without pardon."
"One, those who surrender to the enemy, executed!"
"Two, those who allow the enemy to escape, executed!"
"Three, those who accept bribes from the enemy, executed!"
"Four, those who leak military secrets, executed!"
"Five, those who flee before battle, executed!"
"Six, those who don't listen to orders, executed!"
"Seven, those who fear the enemy and avoid battle, executed!"
There were seven must-kill orders. Yang Ling would pause for a moment after every sentence, allowing the orderly to pass down the military orders in turn. The army, which had been like a pool of still water when they were shouting their slogans, had a slight ripple.
Who was this fellow who spoke? The Heavenly Killing Star had beheaded more than a thousand people with a single order, including second-rank officials of the imperial court. When he said that he would kill people, he was definitely not being vague. The two hundred or so snow-white podaos in front of him added a bit of killing intent to Yang Ling's words. Regardless of whether it was a general or a soldier, when they heard these seven must-kill orders, everyone felt their hearts tremble.
Finally, Yang Ling raised his voice and shouted, "All officers and men must fight the enemy bravely. Those who do not violate these seven prohibitions will not be restrained. I hereby wish all the officers and soldiers a great victory and immediate success! When we return in triumph, I will hold a banquet and wine to wash away the dust and celebrate the victory of all the officers and soldiers! "
Those who do not violate the seven prohibitions will not be restricted!
How could these veterans not understand Yang Ling's words? All of them were so scared that they didn't even dare to breathe. Everyone regarded military discipline as a tiger. Now that they understood, they immediately turned into tigers.
Yang Ling looked around and shouted, "Let's go!"
Groups of soldiers began to move out under the guidance of the flags, leaving the drill ground and rushing to the battlefield. General Li Ze's troops attacked Rong County, General Lin Yingyuan's troops attacked from Mangkou, General You Ji Cui Gui's troops attacked from Liziguan, Commander Jiao Hong's troops attacked from the ferry, Garrison Commander Jin Guoying attacked from Jin Goose Pond …
The smoke of war rose in the counties of Xuzhou at the same time. Li Sen's troops were in the middle of the attack and moved forward with the other troops. Faced with the Ming army's superior numbers, equipment, and powerful attacks, the Du Barbarian Commanders took advantage of the danger and used simple and crude crossbows and stones to stubbornly resist.
But the difference in strength between the two sides was great. The Ming army was also uncharacteristically spirited and unusually brave. They were especially keen on challenging fortifications. The Du Barbarian Commanders finally tasted the power of the imperial court's soldiers. Under the heavy encirclement, their resistance was futile. They could only give up one mountain stronghold after another and escape to the more dangerous and difficult to attack deep in the mountains and forests.
The Ming army was like an eagle that had seen a rabbit. They chased and attacked relentlessly, not letting go. What was different from the past was that the Ming army was not familiar with the secret paths in the mountains. Even though the army moved like a snake and cooperated with each other, they were often led into a fork in the road or a dead end by the Du Barbarian Commanders. They wandered around the mountains for half a day and could not get out. Taking advantage of this time, the Du Barbarian Commanders were nowhere to be seen. They played hide and seek with them in the mountains and sometimes appeared in the mountain strongholds that they had already taken down.
But this time, it was difficult for the Ming army to be led into a fork in the road or a dead end. The chances of being ambushed were also greatly reduced. The Du Barbarian Commanders' channels of information had also been blocked. They did not know that the imperial court had organized the local people to participate in the encirclement. These Barbarians, who believed in ghosts and gods, were suspicious and thought that the commander-in-chief of the Ming army, Yang Ling, had some kind of magical power.
Some of the bandits who had surrendered to them had heard of the miraculous legend of Yang Ling summoning the wind and waves to destroy the Wokou pirates at Qiantang and the east wind to destroy the traitorous eunuchs at Longshan. When the two were confirmed, the Barbarians were even more in awe. Psychological attacks were the most frightening. Because of this, the resistance in many places was greatly weakened. Often when they were slightly attacked, they would abandon their strongholds and flee deep into the mountains.
In the short span of five days, reports of victory came from everywhere. The Ming army in every county continued to gain victories. They captured more than a hundred mountain strongholds such as Longbei, Panther's Tail, Bronze Drum Pond, and more than two thousand and four hundred people were beheaded, more than four hundred were captured alive. They also captured more than seven hundred rice granaries, sixty-three bronze drums, and large amounts of cattle, horses, pigs, and sheep.
In the past, when the Ming army captured mountain strongholds, because they suffered heavy casualties when attacking the mountain, in order to vent their anger, they often burned the mountain strongholds. Those simple and crude thatched huts and fences were all made of wood. They were easy to build and even easier to burn. But this time, the Ming army did not set fire to vent their anger. Instead, they built blockhouses and stone walls at the strategic points of the strongholds they had conquered. Step by step, they advanced inside.
Moreover, in places that resisted stubbornly and were captured, they stationed troops and horses and arranged for officials. At the same time, they moved in the refugees of various tribes to set up fields. They distributed all the ownerless fields that the families of those who went into the mountains to rebel.
As the saying goes, there is no father and son on the battlefield, there is no male and female in a killing formation. When the time came for war, if one's heart was still soft, one would undoubtedly be digging one's own grave. As for the organizers of the destruction of the land distribution and the construction of new villages, the newly appointed officials, who had long received detailed instructions from Yan Gaocai, firmly suppressed them. They did not show any mercy and killed the Buddha's heart. They used a moment of chaos to exchange for long-term peace. As expected, they dealt a heavy blow to those who had illusions in their hearts. They used the same old tricks, those who wanted to rely on the weak and secretly sabotage, and with an iron fist, quickly established a new order.
These landless refugees and tenant farmers, as well as those who originally worked for the landlords and powerful families, saw that the government had put up a notice and rushed over excitedly. Each family obtained more than ten mu of fertile land for free. Overnight, they became part of the property class and were overjoyed. Not only did they stay in the area, they also took the initiative to establish civil defense and strengthen the people. They assisted the government army in searching for rebels and stabilizing the area.
At the same time, Yang Ling did not send the Wolf Army sent by the six tribes to the battlefield. They only specially assisted the officers and soldiers in patrolling the villages that had already been conquered, clearing out the remaining rebels and stabilizing the situation as soon as possible. Under such a steady and careful approach, the space for the barbarians to move and fight in was getting smaller and smaller. They could only retreat step by step and began to concentrate on a few strongholds.
But at the same time, for the obedient barbarians, the new local officials treated them well. Their personal property and land were completely protected, and no one was allowed to bully or seize them. For those who wanted to escape, the officials did not stop them. Instead, they consciously used these people's mouths to spread the government's policy of giving preferential treatment to those who surrendered voluntarily into the mountains.
One after another, sure enough, there were some people who were afraid of death, people who loved their families, trembling with fear and trepidation. They tried to sneak out of the mountains and surrender to the government. These newly established villages were treated generously by the government officials and kept their promises. Although there were not many people who surrendered, there was an endless stream of people who surrendered. Every day there were people who escaped from the mountains.
Yan Gaocai also took into account that there might be spies deliberately released by the barbarians among these people. Under the control of the local officials and the people, they could not get any useful information from the military. Instead, they heard a lot of mysterious and even contradictory news. If there were spies among them, he was afraid that when the news was sent back to the mountains, it would only make the barbarians even more confused.
The imperial court treated those who surrendered generously and severely cracked down on rebels. This greatly weakened the barbarians' combat power. It took another half a month for the barbarians to control only a few of the most dangerous villages. The other territories had all fallen into the hands of the imperial army.
※ ※ ※
In the Xuzhou barracks, the sand table was filled with small red flags planted all over the mountains and valleys. Although the remaining few green flags were the least, they were all planted at the highest points.
Yang Ling pointed to the green flags and said, "The remaining villages are not even one percent of the villages that were captured, but they are also the largest and most difficult to attack. They are densely covered in forests and difficult to traverse. It can be said that they are the most dangerous in Hua Xia. The success of suppressing the bandits in Xuzhou depends on whether these places can be taken or not. Otherwise, all efforts will be in vain. "
Zhu Rangjin said worriedly, "Sir Imperial Envoy, the barbarians have repeatedly suffered setbacks and should have taken Brother Wang as a hostage. But our army has repeatedly attacked and defeated them, and the barbarians only know to retreat and resist. They actually did not mention Brother Wang anymore. Could it be that Brother Wang has already …"
Yang Ling said in a low voice, "Second Prince need not worry too much. Didn't the captured barbarians all say that the Crown Prince was imprisoned in Jiu Si City? There has never been news of the Crown Prince being killed. In my opinion, Ah Da must have thought that with the natural defenses, our army will not be able to take them down. That is why he did not want to use the Crown Prince as a hostage to stop our attack. Instead, he wants to defeat our army on the battlefield so that we will not dare to fight again. "
Zhu Rangjin opened his mouth and finally sighed deeply. He knew that this was Yang Ling using these words to comfort him. As the Ming army continued to win, the barbarians only knew to resist stubbornly and did not mention the matter of using the Crown Prince as a hostage. Even if the barbarians were simple-minded and lacked scheming, but since they could use the Crown Prince to propose so many conditions to the King of Shu, how could they not think of using the Crown Prince as a shield to stop the Ming army? It seemed that they had underestimated the rationality of the barbarians. Most likely, the Crown Prince Zhu Rangxu had already been killed by the barbarians. It was just that everyone had a tacit understanding and no one wanted to expose this layer of window paper.
Minister Feng was afraid that the Second Prince would be sad and quickly changed the topic. He said, "Mr Yang, the remaining few strongholds are easy to defend and difficult to attack. The Bronze Drum Ridge that lies in front of our army is steep on all four sides. It is only a few hundred meters away from the mountain gate. The Taoist said that the barbarians only need a few dozen men to build up a stone wall and it will be enough to stop a million soldiers. It is really difficult to attack."
Yang Ling smiled and said, "Although the Bronze Drum Ridge is a dangerous place, the army of the imperial court has suffered many setbacks in the past and could not advance an inch. In fact, they have fallen into a misunderstanding and did not reflect on themselves. Otherwise, why would hundreds of thousands of soldiers be unable to advance an inch?"
Zhu Rangjin's curiosity was also aroused. He could not help but ask, "What? This place has been reconstructed by the captives and the simulated scenery on the sand table is very realistic. I have seen it four or five times and it is really difficult to attack. What does Your Excellency mean when you say that we have fallen into a trap? "
Yang Ling walked to the sand table and pointed to an important pass. He said, "Second Prince, Minister Feng, look here. This is the Bronze Drum Ridge. There are three steep cliffs that are difficult to climb. There is only one rugged mountain path up the mountain. The bandits have built several blockhouses along the mountain, which are easy to defend and difficult to attack. The misunderstanding I am talking about is: Why do we have to attack these blockhouses? "
Yang Ling pointed out, "These blockhouses are built on top of the mountain and do not block the road. It will be difficult for our army to pass through, but we can select a group of strong and agile soldiers to avoid these blockhouses. Our light soldiers can penetrate deep and directly attack their lair. Why do we have to fight with them at the mountain pass?
You must know that these blockhouses are built on top of the mountain. It is good for defending the pass, but it is not good for the barbarians to attack from the front and back. Moreover, there are not many soldiers in these blockhouses. If they want to attack us from the front and back, it will be impossible. "
Zhu Rangjin sucked in a breath of cold air and said, "Your Excellency, this plan is too risky. If the light cavalry penetrates deep, even if we can avoid these blockhouses, we will not be able to attack the stronghold behind. When the time comes, these blockhouses will obstruct the passage of the heavy troops. If the light cavalry penetrates deep without reinforcements, they will be annihilated by the barbarians."
Yang Ling praised, "You are right. Relying on a light cavalry, it is impossible to attack the stronghold. Therefore, my light cavalry penetrates deep. Attacking the stronghold is a pretense, but blocking the reinforcements is the real thing. There are a few blockhouses on the mountain. We cannot break through them from the outside, but we can climb up from both sides of the stronghold.
I will send people to charge in first and then kill our way back. At the top of the mountain, the blockhouses facing the foot of the mountain will lose their role as a barrier. The number of light cavalry penetrating should not be less than the number of barbarians in the blockhouses. If we take down these blockhouses, the heavy troops can easily pass through and take down the stronghold will be easy. "
Advisor Feng and Zhu Rangjin were stunned by Yang Ling's' back thrust '. Advisor Feng said, "Your Excellency, no matter how brave our army is, the number of light cavalry penetrating through is extremely limited. We cannot stop that many people in front of the stronghold, nor can we pull in the heavy artillery. At this time, we still have to divide our forces up the mountain to attack the blockhouses. How can the barbarians in the stronghold not counterattack? How can the light cavalry penetrating the stronghold stop the barbarians from counterattacking and hold out until the blockhouses are conquered and the reinforcements come? "
"Using swords and spears to fight, naturally we cannot win." Yang Ling said lightly.
Zhu Rangjin's eyes flashed and said, "Your Excellency must have another weapon to defeat the enemy?"
Yang Ling smiled and said, "When I dealt with the rebellious Dongchang barbarians, I used a fire arrow modified from the army's' Hundred Tigers Rushing Arrows'. It can be carried by a single person and has amazing destructive power. In a short period of time, one person can fight against a hundred. I have already informed the Nanjing Weapons Bureau to make them day and night. At the same time, I have also made fireballs, bee cannons, big honeycombs, dust cannons and other obstructive and obstructive firearms. These are enough to stop the reinforcements from Bronze Drum Mountain Stronghold. "
Zhu Rangjin suddenly understood and said, "Your Excellency, the day before yesterday was this batch of firearms that was shipped out of the stronghold? No wonder the escorts are so cautious. "
Yang Ling nodded and said, "Yes, this batch of firearms is being shipped to Li Sen's camp. As for Bronze Drum Mountain Stronghold, we will have to ask the commander to personally lead the seizure."
Zhu Rangjin said happily, "The terrain of Feng Wang Mountain is similar to Bronze Drum Mountain Stronghold. Does Your Excellency want to use the same strategy?"
Yang Ling shook his head, then nodded and said, "It's more or less the same. Although Feng Wang Mountain is only slightly different from Bronze Drum Mountain Stronghold, the firearms used to attack Bronze Drum Mountain Stronghold will not be used. Look, Feng Wang Mountain is surrounded by steep cliffs, like a city wall. There is no road at the foot of the mountain, only the West Pass and the Flag Mountain Stronghold can be reached. Halfway up the main peak of the mountain, there is a stone stronghold. This stronghold is built around the mountain, with a huge stone wall as the wall. The height is no more than ten feet. The stronghold is about a hundred acres in size, with a big gate and a small gate. The front gate is wide, with two huge stone walls extending for hundreds of meters on both sides. If the army attacks the stronghold, it will not be difficult to break into the stronghold.
The most difficult part of this mountain is not in front of the stronghold, but in the narrow Taoist Mountain Stronghold, which is only a thousand feet long. The narrowest part can only allow one carriage to pass through. Next to it is a thousand feet cliff, above the cliff is a dense forest. The barbarians are hiding in the forest, throwing logs and stones. Even if I use a hundred thousand soldiers to attack, they will not be able to cross this thousand feet long road of death. "
All the officials nodded their heads in agreement. The Ming army was repeatedly defeated by the barbarians, not because the barbarians were exceptionally brave, but because the place they were in was incomparably strange and dangerous, which was not something that human strength could fight against.
Yang Ling continued, "These cliffs are flat and high, they cannot be climbed, arrows cannot be shot. The barbarians are hiding on them. If they kill a hundred thousand of our soldiers and lose a hundred of their own men, I am afraid they will die of exhaustion. Not one of them will be killed by us. This is the most dangerous part of the mountain. If there are no barbarians hiding in the forest on the cliffs, Feng Wang Mountain can be broken with a flick of a finger.
But the stone stronghold is built between the mountains. Even if we send light troops to attack the stronghold, there are still cliffs on the left and right, and we cannot climb up. So the 'Back Spear' used against Bronze Drum Ridge cannot be used here. "
The other officials looked at each other when they heard this. From Yang Ling's tone, it was clear that he already had a way to deal with the situation. However, if he did not keep them in suspense, the civil and military officials present could not think of a way to deal with the Barbarians hiding in the dense forest at the peak of the mountain. The surrounding cliffs were extremely steep, difficult for arrows to reach, and difficult for Agile Apes to scale.
Prefectural Magistrate Feng could not help but ask, "How does Daren plan to break this natural barrier?"
Yang Ling took a breath and said lightly, "Everything is ready, only the 'east wind' is missing. I am also waiting. This' east wind 'should be here soon. "
※ ※ ※
The 'east wind' had indeed arrived.
Named by Imperial Envoy Yang Ling, the second stage Dongfeng carrier rocket produced by the Fujian Bureau of Ordnance had arrived.
During the battle against the pirates, there was a Ming navy general who suggested using 'fire dragon out of the water' and other firearms. But although this type of firearm could fly far, the propelling force produced by the burning of gunpowder was not balanced, and the direction was too poor. Especially the direction and speed of the wind on the sea was uncertain. Once the fire dragon was released, it could only be left to fate. Its practical effect was limited, so Yang Ling did not participate.
But he was very interested in this primitive two-stage rocket. Although it could not be compared to the multi-stage carrier rockets and anti-ship missiles of the later generations, but the Ming Dynasty Chinese were able to boldly imagine and design this type of weapon. He felt that this spirit of rich imagination was even more valuable, so he retained the design and research of this type of firearm from the Bureau of Ordnance.
'Fire dragon out of the water' was a type of amphibious rocket. The body of the dragon was made of a thin bamboo tube that was five feet long. There was a wooden dragon head in front and a wooden dragon tail in the back. There were several rockets in the body of the dragon. The fuse was drawn out from the hole under the dragon head. There were four rocket launchers on the front and back of the dragon body. It looked like a flying dragon with four wings.
The fuse of the two sets of rockets in the front and back of the dragon were twisted together. The bottom of the rocket launcher in the front was connected to the fuse from the dragon head. When firing, the four gunpowder cylinders on the lower part of the dragon body were first ignited to propel the fire dragon forward. After the gunpowder cylinders were burned out, the Divine Armament rockets in the dragon body were ignited and shot towards the enemy. This type of rocket was based on the principle of parallel and series rockets. It could fly three to four miles away.
In addition, there were 'Fiery Raven', 'Sky Shaking Thunder' and other long-range firearms. The Fiery Raven had a bird's head, tail, and wings. It could fly hundreds of feet. It was filled with explosives, and there were four rocket launchers tied to its abdomen. Most of these firearms did not have the ability to accurately attack the human body or fixed targets.
For example, the lifelike dragon head, body, and tail of the 'Fire dragon out of the water' were originally more for decorative purposes. In fact, they would affect the direction of the rocket and create greater resistance. Although the wings of the 'Fiery Raven' were to enhance flight stability, their shape was similar to a real bird's wings. Not only was it time-consuming and laborious to produce, but it was also not very stable in pursuit of a similar shape.
When Yang Ling was supervising the development of the Franc machine gun in the Bureau of Ordnance, he saw these firearms. According to his request, all kinds of fancy names were removed for these firearms. They were named 'Dongfeng No.1, Dongfeng No.2, and Dongfeng No.3 Rockets' according to their range and main functions.
At the same time, he asked the firearms expert, Elder Zheng, to modify some of the flashy but unpractical decorative parts. 'Fire dragon out of the water'. The current 'Dongfeng No.1' was streamlined and had the longest range. Originally, for the sake of aesthetics, only four arrowheads could be installed in the dragon's belly. Now, there were seven arrowheads, and their main function was changed from killing to arson. The arrowheads were wrapped with gunpowder and wrapped with layers of tissue paper, and then coated with grease. When ignited, it could not be extinguished by strong wind or water.
The 'Dongfeng No.2', which was modified by the 'Fiery Raven', still had a big belly, like a space shuttle. The bird's wings were still the same shape, but without the original sticky feathers, they became as flat as paper. The bird's belly was filled with flammable and smokable materials, and at the same time, it was mixed with arsenic, phosphorus, and other things that could easily give off a human smell.
Smoke and fire were difficult to disperse in the dense forest on the top of the mountain. This kind of thing burned inside and released a large amount of poisonous smoke. In addition, the rockets were flying everywhere like monkeys. In the primitive forest where the withered leaves were like mud and the few feet thick...
General You Ji Cui Gui stood in front of King Cheng Mountain, looking at the dark mountain that still stood like a giant under the moonlight. After observing for a while, he nodded and said, "Very good. Most of the mountains here are as steep as a mirror, rising from the ground. Although it is extremely dangerous, it is convenient for arson. There are hundreds of feet of cliffs below. No matter how fierce the fire above is, it will be difficult for it to affect the other mountains. Otherwise, it will be troublesome."
"Let's begin!"
In the darkness of the night, the rockets were spitting flames, flying towards the dark mountain top. After a short while, it seemed like a dark cloud was floating over the top of the mountain. The 'dark cloud' was getting thicker and thicker, and finally covered the curved moon.
Half an hour later, the night sky was bright red, and the sky was burning with flames. Looking at the situation from afar, not to mention hiding people, even the rocks on the top of the mountain had melted. Even if one dug three feet into the ground, they would not be able to find a hiding place.
The fire was also shining brightly at the foot of the mountain. If they arrived at the front of the mountain, it would be as bright as day.
"Sir, why must we attack at night?" After all, it was already the third night watch, and they had been watching the fireworks for a long time. Deputy General Pan Dong yawned and asked in a bored manner.
Cui Gui, with a pockmarked face, laughed and said, "Brother, you don't understand. It is a dark night to kill people, and when the wind is strong, it is like looking for a prostitute. For people like us, we have to pay attention to the style, don't we?"
He tightened his battle robe and shouted, "Brothers, attack the mountain!"
"Kill!" The soldiers shouted, and under the illumination of the largest torch in history, the army boldly rushed towards the stone stronghold …
* * *
Mount Ling Xiao was built in the last years of the Southern Song Dynasty, in the year of Baoyou Yimao (1225), the Yuan army first took Yunnan, and then turned to Sichuan. In order to resist the Yuan army and enter Sichuan, the Song army of Rong County built castles in dangerous places to store food for the troops, so they built Ling Xiao City on Mount Ling Xiao.
Ling Xiao City, along with Hechuan Fishing City, Leshan Ling Yun City, and Yibin Donggao City, were all important castles to resist the Yuan army. Later, because the defending generals of Leshan and Yibin surrendered, Ling Xiao City was breached.
After the periphery was basically settled, Song Ai and Wu Hanchao quietly led the Wolf Soldiers to Mount Ling Xiao. At this time, the clean-up mission was basically over, and people began to gather at Causeway Ridge, the capital stronghold, and Ling Xiao City.
Wu Hanchao personally led the Wolf Soldiers who were good at rock climbing into the mountains to investigate the situation near Ling Xiao City, while waiting for Yang Ling to send reinforcements to Mount Ling Xiao.
The peak of Mount Ling Xiao rose, seeming to touch the sky. There were only two dangerous paths up the mountain, one from the "Broken Neck Rock" to the new stronghold gate, and the other from the "Dragon Tablet Dam" to the old stronghold gate through 48 turns.
The "Broken Neck Rock" and the dirt mountain behind it had a broken crack, more than seven meters wide. There was a wooden bridge over it, and passers-by could look down at the bottom of the crack. It was unfathomable, making people tremble with fear, and their limbs weak. Setting up a path of soldiers here was really difficult for even the gods. And the old stronghold gate in front was heavily guarded, and the possibility of a forceful attack was very small.
The general guarding this place was Ah Da's brother, Ah Duck. This person was extremely strong, brave but not wise, and had a cruel temperament. Before he openly rebelled this time, he often led his men down the mountain to attack, rob, and rape women. He was known as the Evil Duck. Because of his violent actions, most of the people nearby had fled in the past few years, and nine out of ten houses were empty, making it very desolate.
But his Ling Xiao City was really too dangerous to climb, and the forty-eight turns were like a natural moat, making people helpless. Song Ai and Wu Hanchao purposely only sent a small army to test the waters, and were beaten back several times in a row. The two were not anxious, and every time they acted as if they did not have enough troops and were not confident, they would retreat when they suffered a setback, and come back to harass again after a few days. Small skirmishes like this happened many times, and Evil Duck was used to it.
On this day, after all kinds of preparations, Song Ai was finally ready to take action. During this period of time, she had been with Wu Hanchao day and night, leading the army together, and the two seemed to have returned to the days when they fought against the Wokou pirates together in Jiangnan. Although Wu Hanchao's father had always been a sore point between the two, on the surface, the two avoided talking about it, and seemed to have completely recovered the intimacy of the past.
Wu Hanchao led over three hundred carefully selected wolf soldiers. Every one of them was dressed in rags, cloth clothes and animal skins. They looked like barbarians. Moreover, they were disguised as men and women, old and young. They had different identities and weapons were hidden in the dark.
To take Ling Xiao City, the back of the mountain could not be attacked, the front of the mountain was rugged, and there were huge rocks and cliffs everywhere, like intersecting wolf fangs. It was almost impossible to forcibly attack the forty-eight turns.
Wu Hanchao personally led the scouts to spy in the dark, and found that there were always barbarian commoners escaping up the mountain, at most a few hundred, at least a few dozen, so he decided on this deceptive plan. Ling Xiao City was surrounded by layers of checkpoints, and was not easy to attack, but if the soldiers did not reach the front of the city, there was no need to talk about attacking the city.
Wu Hanchao wanted to take the risk of using a few hundred warriors to deceive the first checkpoint, and use it as a stronghold to cover the army to ascend the mountain. Although these three hundred people were carefully selected, but the pressure they had to bear could be imagined. One had to know that Ling Xiao City occupied a high position, and the forty-eight turns were difficult to traverse. From afar, they could see the troops at the foot of the mountain, so Song Ai's army could not follow closely behind and support them at any time.
If the deceptive plan failed, these three hundred people could all die in front of Ling Xiao City. Even if they blew open the city gates and immediately sent out a signal, it would take a long time for Song Ai's army to reach the city. In this period of time, fighting to take the checkpoint and stopping the barbarians' counterattack at the second checkpoint, it all depended on Wu Hanchao's group of several hundred people.
Song Ai was dressed in the Ming Army's general's robes. She silently watched them prepare and then quietly walked in front of Wu Hanchao. In a low voice, she said, "Be careful, take care."
Wu Hanchao looked at her concerned gaze and suddenly smiled. He thought of the first time the two of them had fought against the pirates. In order to defeat the stubborn Donghua Lu Zhijie, he had climbed the mountain at the back of the mountain, and Song Ai had also had a concerned gaze. But now, her eyes contained a deep emotion as deep as the sea, something she did not have at that time.
She was still her, and she was not her. She had grown up. He still remembered the unruly Song Ai ordering the wolf soldiers to attack the mountain like she was ordering her slaves, and to protect his safety at the cost of their lives. This time, even though it was even more dangerous and she was even more worried, she did not give such an order.
She already knew how to use reason to control her emotions, how to respect others, and how to be a general.
Wu Hanchao nodded and silently turned around. With a wave of his hand, he set off with more than three hundred warriors.
Song Ai watched them disappear into the col before turning around and leading the generals back to the commander's tent. With a solemn expression, she said to the generals under her jurisdiction, "Generals, whether we can take Ling Xiao City or not will depend on this one move. Garrison Jin, you are in charge of feigning an attack at the back of the mountain. If you see smoke rising at the front, immediately create a ruckus to attract the attention of the barbarians and reduce the pressure on our allies at the front. All of you set off immediately! "
Garrison Jin cupped his hands and said, "This general obeys!" Then he took his men and horses to the Broken Neck Cliff.
"General Lin's troops are in charge of preparing grappling ropes, rattan ropes, wooden ladders, and other tools to attack the mountain. When I lead the light soldiers up the mountain to reinforce, you move right after. Catch up to the mountain as soon as possible. The most important thing for you is time. The faster you come, the better. Do not give the enemy a chance to breathe."
"This general obeys!" General Lin also took the order and retreated.
Song Ai commanded calmly and had the power of a general. She sternly ordered, "Deputy General Chen …"
"Daren Song!" A roar at the door interrupted Song Ai's order. She raised her head in shock and looked towards the door. She saw an official with a beard that reached his abdomen, tiger-like eyes, and thick eyebrows. Although he was wearing a civil official's robe, he had an awe-inspiring aura that was even stronger than the generals in the tent.
"Wow! The future eunuch is here. " Song Ai was startled. She immediately bent her eyebrows and put on a sweet smile. She obediently said, "Daren Wu, you … are here to escort the rations?"
"Ah! The rations are here! "Wu Wending angrily entered the marshal's tent. He stood with his hands on his waist and did not greet. It was obvious that his face was filled with anger.
Song Ai, on the other hand, was filled with joy. Wu Hanchao had always avoided Wu Wending in fear when he escorted the rations here several times. The old man also left after delivering the goods and did not talk to her at all. It was rare that he was willing to enter the tent and talk to her today.
Song Ai hurriedly said, "This official is discussing an important military matter. Does Daren Wu have something important to discuss?"
"An important military matter?" The more Wu Wending heard, the angrier he became. He said, "This lowly official just wants to know when this important military matter will be discussed. This lowly official still has to transport rations to the foot of Mount Ling Xiao."
Song Ai's dark eyes turned and she curiously asked, "Daren Wu, what do you mean?"
"What do I mean? Humph! "Wu Wending angrily said," The imperial army's progress in suppressing the bandits is extremely fast. But what about here? We spend all day discussing and feigning attacks. Up until now, we have not fought a proper battle. We have wasted a lot of rations. Do you think it is easy to transport rations here? After these few trips, a batch of my supply troops have fallen ill. Seven of them have fallen off the cliff and died. You are still discussing! "
Old Wu originally did not think much of a woman commanding the troops. He had a personality of a bloodthirsty person. He was not in Song Ai's army and could not understand her overall plan. So he naturally thought that Song Ai was weak and afraid of battle. Every time the rations were transported here, he had accumulated a bit of resentment in his heart.
This time, because the mountain road was destroyed, it took a lot of effort and four people even fell to their deaths. Unexpectedly, just as the rations were transported into the camp, they saw a group of soldiers leave the camp. After asking around, they found out that it was Garrison Jin who had led troops to feign an attack on Ling Xiao City.
This time, Old Wu exploded. Feign an attack? How long was he going to keep up this act? So, Old Wu barged into the commander's tent and scolded the mediocre commander.
Song Ai hurriedly explained, "Daren Wu, you don't know …"
"Although you are the commander-in-chief, don't forget the imperial envoy's Seven Kill Order. Under military law, those who avoid battle will be executed. When this official returns to Xuzhou, I will report the situation here to the imperial envoy. All of you here are cowardly and afraid of battle, delaying the battle. You sit and watch as the barbarians run wild and waste military rations. It is truly preposterous. "
Song Ai opened her mouth but couldn't get a word in. Her heart gradually became angry, but before she could get angry, the middle-aged officer became angry.
This army was put together at the last minute, and the generals under them belonged to different departments. The middle-aged officer was also sent here at the last minute. He didn't know who this bearded old man in charge of transporting the rations was. Seeing him roar into the commander-in-chief's tent and rebuke the commander-in-chief and the generals, the middle-aged officer immediately jumped out.
He pointed at Wu Wending's nose and shouted, "Since you are talking about military law, do you know the Seventeen Prohibitions and the Fifty-Four Executions? Those who complain too much and anger their general, execute! Those who gather to discuss matters and enter the tent without permission, execute! Those who do not know the details and speak too much, execute! How dare you transport the rations officer, roar at the army, criticize your superior, and break many laws. Come, take him out and execute him! "
The soldiers on both sides were already impatient. They went forward to grab Wu Wending's arms and dragged him out. "Hey ~" Song Ai raised her hand and called out. She looked left and right, but no one said anything.
She stared with her big eyes and then stared again. "A bunch of idiots, why isn't anyone shouting for mercy?"
…
"Spare his life! Hold on! "A delicate cry came from the commander-in-chief's tent.
The one who shouted was the commander-in-chief of the three armies, Song Ai, Daren Song.
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