The scene of tens of thousands of horses galloping was not a common sight on the Qilu Plain. The weather was dry, and the dust that was kicked up into the air made it even more imposing. From afar, the thunderous roar, the fluttering banners, and the scene of horses galloping like dragons made people lose all their courage.
There was a saying that soldiers relied on their horses, and the strength of their fighting power largely depended on their warhorses. If not for the high walls and deep trenches of Dezhou negating the advantage of the bandits, the majority of Dezhou's army, which was twice the size of the bandits, would have been impossible to contend against. The moment the two armies clashed, they would be cut down like vegetables.
The Imperial Court's horses were mostly used to supply the Nine Border Defense Lines and the capital's Main Camp. The large number of soldiers in these two places had already consumed too much of the Imperial Court's provisions and supplies. The Inland Guard Centers could not support enough horses, and the World of Heaven did not normally need to station a large number of cavalry in the Inland Guard Centers. Thus, in the Inland Guard Centers, cavalry had always been rather extravagant. Even an important military stronghold like the Dezhou Guard Centers only had two-thousand-some cavalry.
The horns on the walls gave short and urgent blasts, and the drums that sounded like light thunder suddenly began to beat. Groups of soldiers began to hurriedly ascend the walls. Rolling logs, stones, lime, and kerosene were pushed, moved, and carried to the top of the walls. The cannons on the cannons were also torn off, the pitch-black barrels aimed down at the walls.
The cannons here were still the traditional Thunderclap Cannons. Their firing speed was much slower than the new cannons used by the Jiangnan Navy, but they were a little more powerful. If these two types of cannons were used together in defense, they would complement each other and display even more power.
Unfortunately, the Imperial Court's successive wars, the Jiangnan trade, the building of ships, the construction of pastures in Liaodong, the purchase of horses, and the settlement of immigrants had caused the finances of the Imperial Court to be extremely tight. Right now, the new firearms could only be built and tested on a small scale, unable to be distributed to the entire army.
Boom! The cannons roared, and the ground trembled. They used explosive shells, and the shells exploded in the midst of the enemy's formation like a dark cloud. Immediately, men and horses were thrown off their feet. The warhorses that had not been trained in artillery neighed in fright, and the formation became chaotic.
However, in the face of the tide-like cavalry on the Great Plains, this powerful cannon was nothing more than a spray on the tip of the tide, and was easily extinguished. Because the whole team was in the right direction, the panicked warhorses did not scatter even though they were panicking. Coupled with the excellent control of the knights, they quickly adapted to the rhythm of the whole team.
There was a moat at the foot of the city, and the trenches of the military fortress were dug deep and wide, so there was no need to worry about the horse bandits. They would be able to break into the city with just one charge. Under the orders of the various generals, the soldiers prepared the armaments for close combat. The cannoneers and crossbowmen used the wall of arrows as cover, shooting the soul-sucking arrows of death at the overwhelming Ringing Horse Bandits.
The terrain here was open. On the left was the canal, directly opposite was the city of Dezhou, and the other two sides were terrain composed of wasteland, woods, and courier roads. It was easy to advance, retreat, and escape. The open terrain made it easy for the attackers to arrange their men and horses, and naturally, it was easy for the defenders to shoot. There was almost no need to aim. The eight cannons continued to roar, constantly taking lives, and the desperadoes were howling and getting closer.
There were 32 cannons in the city of Dezhou, and there were eight cannons on each of the four city gates. They fired as many explosive shells as possible, and the lethality was amazing. However, it took time and effort to load the cannons, and the fast horses were as fast as lightning. In an instant, they were close to the city. Once they were close, there were many blind spots on the wall, and the range of the cannons was limited. At this time, the main role was to use the crossbows.
The dust under the wall was thick, covering the sky and the sun. The Ringing Horse Bandits covered their faces with red scarves, and began to ride and shoot arrows at the top of the wall, suppressing the firepower on the top of the wall, and covering the follow-up troops.
Riding and shooting was the specialty of the Tartars outside the pass, and the key was their superb horsemanship. Otherwise, it was not that they could not shoot, but that once the arrow was shot, it would fly away, and they would not even know where they flew to. Or they would be jolted around on the horse, and their arrows would be powerless, and they would not be able to hurt anyone.
Unexpectedly, there were many people among the elite Ringing Horse Bandits who had such superb horsemanship and archery skills. Because the horse households raised horses, many of the Ringing Horse Bandits had climbed up and down on horseback since they were young, so it was not difficult for some of them to have superb horsemanship. It seemed that there were about one thousand five hundred to two thousand of these elite riders.
They rode and rode, constantly shooting arrows, and were evenly matched with the defenders on the top of the wall. At this time, the cannons were really like using a cannon to kill a mosquito, and were completely useless against these scattered and roaming Ringing Horse Bandits.
The 'Liu' flag stopped at the distant ruins, and there were some indistinct silhouettes on the dike. Obviously, Liu Liu was stationed there to command the whole army. Below the dike was a swamp filled with reeds and duckweed, and it was about two li away from the canal. It was about the same distance from here, and it was safe and convenient to command and dispatch the troops.
Yang Ling was lying on the arrow mound, and just as he saw this, he was suddenly pulled back by someone. That person grabbed him too tightly, and his arm was in pain. Yang Ling turned his head and saw Luo Shiquan shouting with a face full of sweat, "My god, why are you still here? Quick, quick quick, leave this dangerous place quickly. "
It turned out that when the Ringing Horse Bandits arrived, in a moment of desperation, Luo Shiquan immediately threw away his two bodyguards and ran up the city tower to personally command the troops. After he finished dispatching the troops and issued a series of battle orders, he remembered that he had forgotten about an important person. He turned his head and saw the Ringing Horse Bandits' arrows shooting up the top of the city wall. The arrows flew across the sky, and Duke Wei was holding the arrow mound and observing the enemy's formation. This was no small matter, and he immediately ran over again.
Although Luo Shiquan's injury did not hurt his muscles or bones, his flesh was after all, and when he rushed to the top of the city tower to command, he tore his wound. Now that he ran over again, he was in pain and afraid, and his forehead was full of sweat.
Yang Ling relaxed and smiled, "Why is General Luo worried? The South Barbarians, the North Invaders, the East Sea Pirates, and the West Barbarians, I have seen them all. The Ringing Horse Bandits may not be better than them, so what is there to be afraid of? "
As he was speaking, a wolf fang arrow whizzed past, shooting out from the mouth of the mound. Beside him, Wu Hanchao's shoulder moved slightly, and with a 'cha' sound, the arrow was knocked away. Wu Hanchao's hand was slowly sheathed, and the speed of his sword was so fast that it was hard for the eyes to follow. Luo Shiquan was startled, but Yang Ling's expression was calm, and his eyelids did not even blink.
Luo Shiquan was not as carefree as Yang Ling. Yang Ling was the Imperial Envoy Governor-General, the High Duke of Shandong. He was responsible for suppressing the bandits in the entire defensive area, formulating strategies to suppress the bandits, and dispatching troops from all directions. It was true that he was in charge of Dezhou now, but he was not the general in charge of the defense of Dezhou. If Luo Shiquan was injured at the top of the city wall, he would not be able to escape the blame of not protecting Dezhou well.
This place was close to the capital and was well-informed. The current Emperor doted on and trusted this High Duke of Wei very much. He had heard many news about the Taoist, and there was no one else who could make the Emperor wear a female costume and climb the city wall other than the one in front of him.
Yang Ling saw that this Commander Luo was really anxious, and he also saw that the soldiers at the top of the city wall were nervous and busy. Although they were constantly urged by the officials, they were even more nervous, and their movements were somewhat stiff and rusty. It seemed that not only did they lack training, but his presence also made them even more nervous. Yang Ling smiled and said, "Alright, General Luo can command at ease. I will go to the tower and watch the battle."
Luo Shiquan was overjoyed. He hurriedly summoned a few bodyguards and accompanied Yang Ling up the tower. The Rattling Horse Bandits did not have sharp long-range siege weapons, so it should be much safer to stay in the tower.
Song Ai was a little surprised to see Yang Ling so obedient. In fact, Yang Ling also wanted to stand here and observe and understand the Rattling Horse Bandits' fighting style, but if he did that, Luo Shiquan would not be in the mood to command and would put all his attention on him. Luo Shiquan was the commander of the entire army, and Yang Ling did not want to overstep his boundaries and personally command the Texas offensive and defensive battle. Thus, he could not create trouble for Commander Luo.
Moreover, the garrison inside the city was twice as strong as outside the city. Even if the enemy had the advantage of horses, it would not be of much use in a siege. On the other hand, the garrison had the advantage of terrain and weapons, and they were completely on the defensive. If he still needed to personally appear, then this Luo Shiquan would be useless and could not be used at all.
In the next step of Yang Ling's military operation, Luo Shiquan was a very important chess piece, and he needed to be independent. This was the reason why Yang Ling had deliberately planned to reorganize the Texas garrison, emphasize military orders and laws, and establish Luo Shiquan's absolute authority in front of the Texas garrison. Now that the army had just been deeply affected, Luo Shiquan would be able to perfectly command a defensive battle and further establish his position. If Yang Ling did not retreat behind the scenes, he would inevitably steal his limelight.
Seeing that Yang Ling had retreated back into the city tower, Luo Shiquan's spirit was lifted, and he immediately shouted, "Suppress the crossbows and kill as much as possible. Everyone, hold your positions and do not panic." As he spoke, he drew his saber and hid beside the disc wall, concentrating on observing the Rattling Horse Bandits' movements.
In a military battle, the crossbow was the priority. The speed of a bow was fast, but it was difficult to master. On the other hand, the crossbow was fired by a mechanism. It was learned day and night, and its power could reach a long distance. However, it was difficult to reload and slow to fire. It was especially unsuitable for horseback battles, but it was much more convenient for defending a city.
The ratio of crossbows and bows in the city of Texas was six to four. At this moment, the crossbow was fired in unison. The two-picul bow could penetrate the body within 200 steps, while the crossbow had a longer range. Only the sound of bowstrings could be heard as the crossbow was fired in unison. Countless three-edged wolf fang arrows whizzed out.
"Ah!" One of the winged cavalry's galloping horses was shot by a feather arrow and fell off his mount. Another did not even manage to make half a sound before a crossbow shot straight into his head. The impact caused his entire body to hang upside down from the horse's body.
Hundreds of sharp wolf fang arrows pierced through the air and fell like a shower of rain. In an instant, more than 200 people were killed or injured. The warhorses that had lost control of the soldiers fled in all directions. The charging formation immediately collapsed and was no longer as orderly as before. The Rattling Horse Bandits' attack was thwarted and began to wander left and right. At the same time, they fired arrows to suppress the enemy. Although the defenders at the top of the city wall had erected shields, many of them were still injured by the arrows.
The first step of both sides' attack and defense was to suppress the enemy from afar and shoot as many arrows as possible. Looking at the Rattling Horse Bandits, it was obvious that they still had something up their sleeves. Of course, they would not think of attacking the city with their bare hands. The Rattling Horse Bandits raised their shields. There were wooden shields, iron shields, and self-made rattan shields. Although they could not withstand crossbows, they could withstand arrows.
Inside the city wall tower, Wu Hanchao and Song Ai stood on the left and right of Yang Ling. Yang Ling was dressed in a green robe and sat on a high-back chair. He crossed his legs and looked out the window. With a leisurely expression, he gently tapped his knees and cleared his throat to sing, "I was watching the mountain scenery from the city tower when I heard the commotion outside the city gate. Banners fluttered in the air, but it turned out to be the troops sent by Liu Liu. "
Song Ai giggled and pursed her lips. "What song is Your Excellency singing? You sound so carefree. "
Yang Ling laughed and said, "I'm missing a goose feather fan. Otherwise, it would look and smell good."
"Eh? Look and smell good? "Song Ai was surprised.
The nervously standing soldiers could not help but admire the High Duke when they saw him talking and laughing casually. He did not seem to care about the tens of thousands of cavalrymen outside the city. Their nervous mood also calmed down.
It was obvious that Liu Liu's army had sped up as they approached Dezhou City. This was because there were some people pushing carts pulled by horses, carts, and wooden frames. They should be some siege equipment. Yang Ling smiled in relief. "So that's how it is. No matter how stupid Liu Liu is, he wouldn't pile up his troops. Thirty thousand men and horses can't fill the trenches in Dezhou City."
Women were emotional creatures. Song Ai worshipped Yang Ling blindly. There were about ten thousand people outside the city. She believed that the High Duke would have a way to restrain them. But if there were a million people outside the city, she would think that Yang Ling would have a way to deal with them after seeing how carefree Yang Ling was.
Wu Hanchao, on the other hand, was a little nervous. He looked at the horse bandits who were slowly dispersing to lure the firepower from the top of the city wall. At the same time, they were shooting arrows to cover the approaching siege equipment. He said, "High Duke, Liu Liu has stopped attacking for a few days because he doesn't know our actual situation. At the same time, he must be preparing to attack the city. Since he dares to come, he must have a certain degree of confidence. Should we suggest that General Luo transfer some troops from the other three cities?"
Some of the local soldiers in the city tower immediately held their breaths and listened attentively to Yang Ling's words. Yang Ling shook his head and said with a smile, "Confidence? What kind of confidence can he have? He has no choice but to come. Otherwise, he will have to give up his plan to establish a foothold in Shandong and attack the capital in the north. He will have to hunt in Jiangnan and leave the capital. Although he will be plunging into the prosperous world, it will be even more difficult to establish a foothold there. "
He paused and said, "Liu Liu Liu will definitely not be able to take down Dezhou City. Those who fail to defend the city are nothing more than the enemy is strong and we are weak; the city is big but there are few people; there are few rations but there are many people; the supplies are stacked outside; the officers and soldiers do not obey orders. In addition, the water outside is high and the city is low inside. The soil is sparse and the pond is shallow. The defensive equipment is not sufficient and the salaries are not paid. Even if there is a high city, it will have to be abandoned.
Dezhou City has a strong army and strong horses. The trenches are deep and the walls are thick. The 60,000 soldiers are enough to defend the city. Moreover, the rations are plentiful and the water channels are smooth. The punishment is heavy and the law is clear. Without ten times the number of enemies, it is impossible to attack! "
As if to prove Yang Ling's words, the rain of sharp arrows and the roaring cannons completely suppressed Liu Liu Liu's army. There were not many bandits in front who dared to challenge them, but the carriages behind them were gradually being pushed over.
The soldiers on the city wall knew every move of the bandits like the back of their hand and could quickly respond. However, there were no high mountains nearby. Because of the soldiers' cannons, the bandits did not dare to build nesting carriages or similar lookout tools. They were at a disadvantage in terms of understanding the situation of the enemy and themselves. Outside the city, they would only be able to estimate how the defenders in the city would set up their defenses and adjust their firepower deployment. However, the people inside the city would be able to know what they were doing outside the city.
At this moment, the bandits' movements were seen through by the soldiers. "Bed crossbow! It's a bed crossbow. Damn it, they actually got a bed crossbow. Quick, blow it up! "Luo Shiquan's voice came from afar.
A bed crossbow was a large crossbow mounted on a wooden frame. It could penetrate the human body within 500 meters. It was known as the king of crossbows. In the Southern Song Dynasty, the Song army used a bed crossbow to kill the Mongolian Khan Mengke, which led to the battle between Khubilai and Ali Buge for the throne. Because of this, the Southern Song Dynasty continued for more than ten years.
The arrows fired by a bed crossbow were made of wood, with an iron spearhead as the arrowhead and iron feathers as the tail. It was known as "one spear with three swords and arrows". In fact, it was a short spear with feathers. It was used to defend the city and attack the enemy's chariots, ladders, wooden curtains, giant shields and so on. If it was used to attack the city, it would be broken. If it was an earthen city or wooden stronghold, it would be even more devastating.
At that time, this was considered a heavy siege weapon. No wonder Commander Luo was nervous. The soldiers on the city wall nervously moved the cannons and estimated the target's position. Although a bed crossbow was a heavy weapon, it was only relative to the crossbows used by soldiers. It was easy to move it on a simple flatbed cart. It was easier said than done for heavy cannons to aim at its position.
Isn't it just a bed crossbow? Who doesn't have one? You have one, I have one, everyone has one!
Qiao Sihai, who was defending the city of Dezhou, saw that the cannons were unable to capture the bed crossbow carts pulled by the bandits. Without waiting for Luo Shiquan's orders, he roared with a full Shandong accent and ordered his men to push the bed crossbow to the center of the city wall, preparing to use a bed crossbow to fight a bed crossbow.
"Buzz!" A shockwave that rapidly scraped through the air swept past everyone's ears. The high-pitched sound momentarily suppressed the shouting of the people and the neighing of the horses, stimulating everyone's eardrums. It was like a fighter plane flying over their heads at top speed.
Yang Ling felt his ears itch. After a moment, he heard Qiao Sihai's voice from the top of the city wall. "They are firing 'Kicking Arrows' and concentrating on rolling logs, stones, kerosene and lime. They are going to attack the city by force."
As soon as Yang Ling heard 'Kicking Arrows', he understood. Although he had never seen 'Kicking Arrows' in the Datong Border Army, he had heard people talk about them in detail. The so-called 'Kicking Arrows' was to use a bed crossbow to nail short spears to the city wall in rows for the attackers to climb up the wall. It was like a mobile ladder. Commander Luo, who was lying on the city wall, suddenly looked out and saw five short spears inserted straight into the cracks of the wall. Although the spears were short, their tails were still trembling sharply, making a buzzing sound like a swarm of bees passing by.
He only took a glance and hurriedly retracted his head. The soldiers next to him hurriedly used their shields to cover. Sure enough, someone in Liu Liu's army inserted a needle into the gap. With a few thuds, a row of arrows fell on the surface of the shield.
Don't think that a spear like this couldn't penetrate a wall made of green bricks. Not to mention the quality of the bricks themselves, there were even more clay and rammed earth used in the construction.
In the past, the rich Shen Wansan helped Emperor Taizu build Nanjing. After the two each ordered people to build a section of the city wall, Zhu Yuanzhang went to inspect it and ordered the soldiers to smash the wall with iron hammers. With one hammer, the wall that he was responsible for was broken. The wall that Shen Wansan hired with a lot of money and personally supervised the construction was not broken after three hammers. Zhu Yuanzhang was furious and beheaded the culprit and ordered the construction to be rebuilt.
Of course, this kind of breaking only targeted the brick surface and would not cause the wall to collapse. First of all, the brick was a very large piece. In addition, the wall was very thick and more than ten feet wide. Just piling it up there, even ten oxen wouldn't be able to knock it down. Moreover, there were layers of rammed earth, making it even stronger.
However, the wall really couldn't be said to be that hard. The row of short spears penetrated half a foot into the wall and were as solid as a rock. As long as they followed a certain slope and shot towards the wall, it would be like building a staircase on the wall. There was no need to talk about climbing. The horse bandits stood sideways under the wall and ran up.
Luo Shiquan adjusted his helmet and sneered, "Wishful thinking! How can this official allow you bunch of thieves to succeed? Come, tie the clay pans together, and throw your pikes to break them! "
Inside the wall, there were wooden drums, mud drums and brick drums. Among them, the brick drums were the heaviest and most suitable to be smashed. More than a dozen bricks, which were made with the technique of baking bricks, were quickly bundled together. The soldiers swarmed forward, shouting their chants as they lifted the heavy bricks onto the city wall, and then rolled them down. Even if they couldn't break all the spears in one go, they would be able to do it again.
Seeing this, the horse bandits outside the city immediately concentrated their fire in this direction. The soldiers who couldn't dodge in time were immediately shot down. The soldiers on top of the wall immediately returned the favor. In order to create and destroy the conditions for the siege, countless lives were taken very cheaply by the rain of arrows.
Yang Ling didn't sit on top of the wall to enjoy the scenery. That kind of calmness was only for the local guards to see. Even though he was talking and laughing, his eyes were nervously observing the horse bandits outside the city, as well as the characteristics of their attack and defense. He paid more attention to Luo Shiquan.
He observed how he commanded, dispatched, and coordinated. He observed his judgment, flexibility, as well as the soldiers' fighting ability, degree of obedience, morale, and quality of cooperation.
He was watching the battle, not only watching the enemy, but also himself. He had just arrived in Dezhou and had not yet learned to know himself and his enemy. On the battlefield, it was the most difficult time to hide one's strengths and weaknesses, so it was the best time for him to learn everything he wanted to know as soon as possible. So far, he was very satisfied with Luo Shiquan.
Luo Shiquan was not a fierce fiend like Jing Fuer, a God of War who intimidated the enemy the moment he went into battle and encouraged the soldiers to risk their lives with him. He was also not a veteran general who was good at both offense and defense and had rich experience in battle formations like General He. He was more like a commander in the modern sense. His arrangements were impenetrable and his thoughts were very meticulous. Many details were considered very well.
Famous generals also had their own strengths. Some were good at attacking, some were good at defending, some were good at coordinating, and some were good at surprise battles. Luo Shiquan was obviously good at defending, and Yang Ling was very satisfied with this. With this person guarding Dezhou, as long as the whole army was united and he could dispatch them easily and command them like his own arm, then Dezhou and other provinces would be safe. Now, he could finally start the overall plan to suppress the bandits in Shandong with confidence.
※ ※ ※
After the first plan failed, Liu Liu's people began to change the method of attacking the city. He ordered people to put a bag on the string of the crossbow on the bed and put dozens of arrows at one time. When they were shot, it was like a storm. The arrows left the bow and soared into the sky with amazing lethality. It was similar to the imperial army's Hundred Tigers Rushing Arrows.
With the great lethality of the crossbow and the constant shooting of arrows by the riders, more than a dozen swaying siege ladders moved to the left side of the city wall. The siege ladders were rarely used separately because it was easy for the defenders to break them one by one. Once they were used, at least more than a dozen ladders would be concentrated in one place. The attackers and defenders would constantly shoot arrows at each other. It was completely filling up the ladders with human lives. Although the attackers paid a higher price, it was the fastest way to besiege the city.
Following Commander Luo's dispatch, General Qiao rushed in the direction of the siege ladders with his men. At the same time, there were more than a dozen trench bridges and toad carriages used to cross the moat on the right side of the city wall.
The top of the toad carriage was in front, similar to the siege chariots used by the Tatars to attack the Chicken Crowing Inn. It was also covered with raw cowhide to block the rain of arrows. The bandits hid below it with flying hooks in their hands, ready to climb over the trench by force. The top of the city wall immediately used guns and arrows to resist the obstruction. At the same time, the officers and soldiers gathered here, ready to fight.
Due to the deterrence of the eight cannons at the main gate, the Ringing Horse Bandits only attacked from the two sides and rarely challenged them from the front. It was not until they set up a few simple small catapults that could be operated by two people and threw poisonous burning substances onto the top of the city wall, stirring up a cloud of smoke that a battering cart with an eave on top of it rushed over with the help of the Ringing Horse Bandits. Another person carried the trench bridge and ran in front.
"Boom, boom ~ ~" The cannons spat out tongues of fire again. The eight cannons fired two rounds, and several catapults in the distance were blown to pieces. Less than half of the people under the city wall who were rushing to move the trench bridge were killed by the rain of arrows. The rest of the people hid under the trench bridge to avoid the rain of arrows. The trench bridge was set up on the moat, and the huge wooden tip of the battering cart aimed at the city gate. The desperados screamed and desperately crashed into it.
In their hearts, the only thing that the officers and soldiers could rely on was the high city and the deep moat. As long as they broke through the city gate, the officers and soldiers would become frightened rabbits and be at their mercy. Dezhou was a big city, and there were many rich gentry, gold, and beautiful women in it. Moreover, General Liu had said that if they conquered Dezhou, they would have the opportunity to rule the world. Every one of them had the opportunity to become a general. Their lives were cheap anyway, so why not take a gamble?
The Ringing Horse Bandits roared, and the huge wooden pole hit the city gate again. The heavy sound of the impact seemed to be felt even by the top of the city wall. A baihu sheathed his saber and shouted, "Quick, move the battering cart and prepare the swallowtail torches."
There were two battering carts on the left and right side of the city wall. They had a wooden body and an iron head, and the iron head was made up of six iron points. Each iron point was more than a foot long, and they looked like six big wolf teeth nails. The battering cart was thrown down by the officers and soldiers, and it smashed into the roof of the battering cart. The sharp and thick iron nail pierced through the roof, and then another battering cart was thrown down, smashing into the first battering cart, and the holes and cracks in the wood became even bigger.
Then, the swallowtail torches were thrown down, and kerosene was poured down. The top of the battering cart was ablaze, and even the bottom of the cart was on fire. It could no longer be used as a cover. The bandits responsible for breaking through the city gate abandoned the battering cart and ran back desperately. Even though they had the cover of their own people, the officers and soldiers on the top of the city wall continued to shoot arrows, and these bandits who dreamed of becoming generals were all nailed to the ground one by one.
Standing on the city wall tower, Yang Ling saw a wide variety of self-made siege weapons. Compared to the regular offensive and defensive weapons in the army, these weapons looked similar but were not inferior to the self-made siege weapons. He could not help but feel deeply touched.
He sighed and said to Wu Hanchao, "I once heard someone say, 'Those who can commit crimes, even if they are not geniuses, they are definitely not mediocre. In some aspects, they must be much better than ordinary people.' This saying is true, there are really capable people among the Rattling Horse Bandits."
It was the first time Song Ai saw so many siege weapons, and she stared at them with her beautiful big eyes. As soon as she heard what Yang Ling said, she immediately agreed, "Yes, you are right, there are many good carpenters among the Rattling Horse Bandits."
* * *
"Zhao Sui has come to Shanxi, and Xu Tai and Jiang Bin are also chasing after him. Xu Tai has passed down an edict from the imperial court, and the local military and political officials in Shanxi are responsible for their respective territories. They just need to keep the bandits away, but they are not allowed to lead troops across the border to chase after the bandits, so as to prevent them from taking advantage of the situation. "
The man in green sat opposite Zhang Yin and said slowly. His current public identity was Zhang Yin's advisor in the army, and his name was Jiang Nanyan. In fact, he was indeed Zhang Yin, and his real identity was Maitreya Sect Master Li Fuda's staff officer, and he was the Maitreya Sect Master.
Li Fuda laughed and said, "Don't worry about him, as long as he doesn't come to Taiyuan, let Madman Zhao do what he wants. Xu Tai's order is exactly what I want. Shanxi is surrounded by Taihang in the east, Luliang in the west, Zhongtiao and Xicheng mountain ranges in the south, Taihang in the east, and Luliang in the west. It can be said that Shanxi is surrounded by mountains, mountains, and ravines. To suppress the bandits here is as difficult as ascending to heaven. Speaking of which, Shandong is more worth watching. "
Li Fuda said excitedly, "I didn't expect Yang Hu to do such a good job and create such a big situation in Shandong. Hmm … of course, our people secretly helped a lot in this, but for him to have the situation he is in now, the development is still beyond my expectations. It seems that Liu Jin and Bi Zhen's plundering in Shandong and losing the people's hearts have also helped him a lot. "
Li Fuda smiled and said, "Bayan Khan is also a wonderful person. The last time our cooperation failed, it caused him to be in a difficult situation. The Tatar tribe is about to fall apart, and I was worried that it would be difficult to cooperate with him again. I didn't expect that this time I don't have to do anything, he has come to help of his own accord.
With him hanging around the frontier fortress, not only does the imperial court not dare to use the border army, they don't even dare to easily send out the capital camp. This is very beneficial to Yang Hu's rebellion in Shandong. It's just that Bayan's actions are a little strange. Since he has staked everything on one throw, what's the use of this small fight? If he returns without success, the people's hearts will be scattered. Alas, the once insufferably arrogant Bayan Khan … is so pitiful. "
Jiang Nanyan said, "Cult Master, with Bayan's current military strength, it is difficult for him to make a big move. I think he has nowhere else to go and ran to the border to speculate and profit, hoping to take advantage of Ming Destiny's internal strife to find an opportunity. But with this, he has helped Yang Hu and Liu Liu a lot.
On our side, the original plan was to use Yang Hu's rebellion to buy time for King Ning. But Yang Hu was able to gather so many troops in such a short time, it shows that the imperial court is not as strong as we thought. Taking advantage of his chaos in Shandong, why don't we go with the flow and take the opportunity to raise our troops? Why must we rely on that useless King Ning? "
Li Fuda shook his head and said with a smile, "The time has not come. Ming Destiny's foundation of over a hundred years cannot be so easily shaken. Although there are many dissatisfaction among the common people, the majority still recognize its rightful position, and there are not many who want to rebel.
After Zhengde succeeded the throne, the traitors in the imperial court have been gradually eliminated. On the surface, it looks very weak, but in reality, Jiangnan, Southeast, Southwest, Northwest, and Northeast are still firmly in the hands of the imperial court and cannot be taken lightly.
Our power is mainly in the north, and Yang Hu was able to gain power so quickly because of our secret support. Why not let him be the vanguard? We have no loss in success or failure. If we raise our troops now, it will be the same as fighting for food with Yang Hu, because the territory our power can control is basically the place where Yang Hu can move freely without fear. If we raise our troops, it will only be to divide Yang Hu's troops.
Right now, the other places are still very peaceful, and King Ning is not yet fully fledged, so it is not time for him to rebel. Right now, we have to think of a way to make Yang Hu's disaster bigger, to make the heavens angry and the people resentful, and the common people lose their hearts. At that time, the common people, gentry, and bureaucrats will be in a precarious situation and will definitely resent the imperial court.
The interests of the various vassal lords will be affected, and they will also be dissatisfied with the imperial court. In this case, when King Ning raises his troops, he can use the name of suppressing bandits, cleaning out the emperor's side, or supporting the imperial family to launch a northern expedition. He can win over the hearts of the people and easily take down the badly battered imperial court. "
He sighed and said, "Nan Yan, do you know why I must use King Ning to seize the world? Repeated failures have forced me to be cautious. If we raise our troops and Yang Hu raises his troops, the whole world will oppose us. Once this power rises, it will be no small matter, and the chances of success will be next to nothing.
On the other hand, if King Ning raises his troops to pacify the country, it will only be an internal struggle of the imperial family. The other vassal lords will look on coldly from the sidelines, and many of the feudal officials will also take advantage of the situation. The resistance to success will be minimized. And once we succeed, we can use the puppet King Ning to control the two largest and most elite forces, the capital's barracks and the border army, in our hands, and the orthodoxy will be in our hands.
At that time, no matter who is in charge outside the Great Wall, we can secretly contact and cede territory to form an alliance. The hundreds of thousands of elite troops on the nine borders can be liberated. With such an invincible army that can go on a southern expedition at any time, and then using the name of Emperor King Ning to remove the vassal lords, perhaps we won't even need to send troops. The various vassal lords will obediently hand over their territories and return to the capital to be idle princes. Then … haha, King Ning will be useless. "
Nan Yan nodded and said, "Cult Master is right. The only thing subordinate is worried about is whether Yang Hu and Liu Liu's power will grow out of control. If we really let him control Shandong, Henan, and Shanxi, separating the north from the south, and the elite troops of the northern frontier won't be able to rush to help. Yang Hu and Liu Liu will take advantage of the situation and sit there. If King Ning raises his troops and can't subdue him, wouldn't that be self-defeating? After all, we only have a limited number of people around him. Yang Hu and Liu Liu are not easy to deal with. "
Zhang Yin smiled faintly and said disdainfully, "The current world hasn't reached the point where it can't be saved yet. In the current situation, people like Yang Hu and Liu Liu don't have long-term accumulation, support from aristocratic families, support from Confucian scholars, and a broad foundation among the common people. It's a dream for them to rise up in a few days and months and start from scratch in such a short time to take over the world.
The business of fighting for supremacy is not something that people like them, who have no brains and no foundation, can afford to play with. Whether it's Yang Hu or Liu Liu, they are a motley crew without long-term vision. They can only play with their own heads.
Didn't Yang Ling go to Shandong? I've seen him fight several times in the north, south, west, and east. His tactics are remarkable, and he is not on the same level as people like Yang Hu. Add to that his important position in the army and his influence on the emperor in the imperial court. As governor, he can definitely unify the scattered forces and make them listen to his command and dispatch.
If I'm not wrong, Yang Hu can no longer hold his ground in Shandong. His only choice is to go south to the Central Plains and create chaos in the hinterland of the Central Plains to complete his mission as a rogue bandit: to create conditions for King Ning to gather his troops. "
Zhang Yin picked up the teacup and twirled it lightly with his fingers. He smiled very happily and said, "People like Yang Hu and Liu Liu are only suitable to be tailors, good tailors who specialize in making wedding clothes for others! Can they deal with Yang Ling? Haha, if a person is born to be Xiang Yu, even if you give him a hundred chances, he will still not be able to defeat Liu Bang. "
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