With these elites, even if he encounters more than ten or twenty mounted soldiers, Liu Xingzhi is sure to make a surprise attack and kill them all.
Moreover, through the intercepted messengers, Liu Xingzhi and others also knew that Mao Wenlong and his troops had approached Haizhou and restrained the Jianlu of Haizhou Guard.
In this case, it will be safer for them to return from the lower reaches of Haicheng River and cross Henan.
Behind the long team, Guo Dajing led more than a hundred people to take charge of the rear. Guo Dajing has been responsible for this task since the destruction of the Jurchens' manor.
The key is that he has to pick up rags. Although the people in the manor are allowed to take whatever they want, they know that they have to be in a hurry, so they have to reluctantly throw away many items.
Most of these items that were difficult to carry on the road were collected by Guo Dajing and left for later use.
After receiving the report from the messenger, Guo Dajing only thought about it for a moment and agreed to Liu Xingzhi's arrangement.
Guo Dajing understood Liu Xingzhi's idea of wanting to reach a safe area as soon as possible, so why didn't he want to do so? According to current intelligence analysis, taking the main road was indeed faster and the risk was not very high.
Han Zhong had already changed his clothes and was officially accepted as a member of the Dongjiang Army, following Guo Dajing.
During more than ten years of war, he and his family were displaced, and in the end only the father and son were left. His knowledge of various parts of Liaodong can be called a living map.
Guo Dajing and Han Zhong talked more in detail. They got more information about the topography and local characteristics of many areas in Liaodong, and the originally vague strategic ideas gradually became clear.
Guo Dajing has always been thinking about how to carry out guerrilla warfare more effectively, continue to consume the effective strength of the Jianlu, and make them unable to live in peace and subject to greater constraints.
Although remote islands are safe, crossing the sea to land and going deep into the land to conduct raids will always be subject to various restrictions, which is also destined to make it difficult to continue the raid operations.
However, if we can establish a base behind enemy lines, we can launch operations anytime and anywhere to harass the guerrillas in all directions, and create more convenient conditions for attracting the Liao people.
It should be in an area occupied by Jianlu, but not too deep. It is best to have mountains and rivers, and enough space to move.
"There are many mountains in Xiuyan, including Maogui Mountain, Yaoshan Mountain, Yikeshuling Mountain, Brothers Mountain, Dadingzi Mountain, Luotuolizi..."
"There are many rivers around Xiuyan, the largest ones are Dayang River and Piaozi River. After the two rivers merge, they flow southeast into the Yellow Sea..."
The mountain Han Zhong mentioned should be called a mountain range to be precise. The main mountain range is the Changbai Mountain Range. From north to south, there are six branches: the Maogui Mountain Branch, the Yaoshan Branch, the Yikeshuling Branch, and the Brother Mountain Branch.
Regardless of size, there are more than 500 rivers in Xiuyan area.
Xiuyan or Xiuyan is Xiuyan. In the Ming Dynasty, Xiuyan Castle was built here, also known as Xiuyan City.
From the map, Gaizhou and Haizhou are to the west, Xiuyanbao and Fengcheng are in the middle, and Jiulian City is to the east. It can be regarded as the first line of defense built by the Jianqi on land after abandoning the coastal areas.
South of this line of defense, there were very few people. It not only provided early warning time to prepare for a surprise landing by the Dongjiang Army, but also made it necessary for the Dongjiang Army to carry grain and grass supplies if it wanted to penetrate deeper, which increased great difficulties.
This arrangement is similar to that in western Liaoning. If Jinzhou, Dalinghe and other places are abandoned and not defended, the Ming army will consume a lot of materials to occupy them.
Jianlu, on the other hand, could take advantage of mobility and field operations, wait for the opportunity, and attack the city with lightning speed, either attack the city or encircle the point for reinforcements, thus seizing the initiative.
Of course, no-man's land also has the same difficulties for building captives. The lack of food and grass supplies means that the number of large-scale launches is not many, and the duration is not very long.
Therefore, establishing a base area behind enemy lines is extremely difficult in the eyes of others, and food and grass supplies are a difficult problem to solve.
There is no need to build captives to search the mountains and kill them. We just need to send more troops to control the surrounding key areas and trap the enemy in the deep mountains and old forests. There seems to be no other way out except starvation.
But for Guo Dajing, apart from the food and supplies he could carry behind enemy lines, his space was equivalent to a large warehouse. If the storage was sufficient, 1,800 people could hold on for several months.
"...There are many mountains and forests around Fengcheng, which produce a lot of ginseng..."
Han Zhong continued to introduce, but he didn't know that although Guo Dajing listened and memorized it, he had already determined the main target, which was Xiuyan.
He was still very familiar with the Piaozi River and the Dayang River. The first way to escape from the Jianlu area was through the frozen river.
In this case, it would be more convenient to take a boat upstream and reach Xiuyan area.
Although Guo Dajing is not ready yet, there is no goal and the preparation is not targeted. Next year, he secretly set a time.
The troops successfully crossed the Haicheng River before nightfall. After a short rest, they drove through the night and passed through a large ridge, and finally entered a safe area after dawn.
In the middle of the night, Guo Dajing personally led a team of fifty elites on horseback to attack the village where Yao's ancestors and grandsons lived. He destroyed the manor outside the village, rescued nearly a hundred Liao people in the village, and joined the brigade after dawn
Reunion went smoothly.
Next, the troops continued to retreat south, and one day later they reached the Bili River and contacted the ships staying here to support them. When a large number of ships heard the news and arrived, the troops took the boats down the river and entered the sea.
Smelling the salty smell of sea water and seeing the vast sea again, Guo Dajing let out a sigh of relief and felt that his heart felt relaxed.
After entering the sea, several large ships turned westward and headed straight for Lushun. Guo Dajing led more than a hundred soldiers and loot to report his victory to Mao Wenlong.
Other troops and Liao civilians sailed to Guanglu Island by boat. Another group of Liao civilians wanted to live a new life without being oppressed and killed by the captives, and they did not have to worry all day long.
Yao Xin held the side of the boat and looked at the sea with curiosity. His heart was full of longing, and all the uneasiness in his heart was swept away.
The Dongjiang Army kept their word. Not only did they take in their grandparents and grandchildren, but they also rescued all the villagers in the village. Well, this is all the credit of my grandfather and me, and they all want to thank them.
Yao Xin grinned. It was his first time to go out on a boat and he didn't feel any discomfort. This shows that he is born with such a constitution.
A familiar voice came, and Yao Xin quickly turned his head and saw Liu Qishi walking up to the deck talking to an officer.
Liu Qishi's injuries have basically healed, but he was bitten by a snake. He is not allergic, and a little more blood will be nothing.
However, Guo Dajing still asked him to go back to the island to rest first. Anyway, there was no need to fight if he reported to Mao Wenlong, and it was very safe.
"Look out for that prisoner, General Guo will be of great use." After Liu Qishi gave his instructions, he sent the officer away, took out his kettle and took a big sip, exhaling the odor of alcohol happily.
Zheng Xin trotted over and asked with a flattering smile: "Sir, do you still need to change the dressing?"
Liu Qishi turned to look at Zheng Xin, waved his hand and said: "The injury is healed, there is no need to change the dressing."
Zheng Xin sniffed, opened his lips twice, and said timidly: "Sir, if you are bitten by a poisonous snake, you cannot drink."
"Didn't I tell you that the injury is healed?"
Liu Qishi's voice couldn't help but get louder again. He rolled his eyes. He walked away and stood by the side of the ship. He took another sip of wine and looked in the direction of Guanglu Island with a slight smile.
Zheng Xin pursed his lips and did not dare to approach this rude military man again. He found a place where no one was and sat down, hugging his knees and looking at the sea.
Han Zhong and his son Han Shantong also walked onto the deck to look at the scenery. When they saw Liu Qishi, they politely stepped forward and saluted.
"You're welcome." Liu Qishi handed over the bottle of wine, "Here, take a sip."
Han Zhong smelled the smell of wine and his eyes lit up. He hesitated and took it, raised his neck and took a big sip. He laughed at the smell of wine and said: "Good wine, good wine. I haven't tasted wine for a long time, my subordinate."
I can’t even remember it.”
Liu Qishi had a drinking buddy, so he couldn't help laughing, and asked Han Zhong to sit down. The two of them drank and chatted, and their relationship became more familiar and closer.
"Go to a certain room in the cabin and get another pot." Liu Qishi asked Han Shantong to run errands. "There are also a few pieces of barbecue in the bag hanging on the wall. Get them together."
Han Shantong happily agreed, turned around and went down the cabin. After a while, he rushed back and placed the wine and meat in front of Liu Qishi.
Liu Qishi gave Han Shantong a piece of barbecue as payment for running errands.
Just in time, from the corner of his eye, he caught sight of Zheng Xin sitting hugging his knees not far away. He hesitated for a moment, took out another piece, and said, "Send it to that girl. I've been treating someone's injury and dressing her these days. It's a token of my gratitude."
.”
After sending Han Shantong away, Liu Qishi and Han Zhong started drinking and talking, and they were very speculative.
"Here, Mr. Liu gave it to you." Han Shantong came to Yao Xin, handed the barbecue to him, and said: "He said that he has worked hard on you these days to change the dressing."
Zheng Xin blinked his eyes and turned to look over at Liu Qishi. Seeing that he was drinking happily and didn't even look here, he couldn't help but pursed his lips, but still reached out and took the barbecue.
Humph, at least he still knows how to speak politely. And there is this barbecue, so I will forgive him for the time being and not be angry anymore.
Zheng Xin took a hard bite of the meat, chewed it carefully, and slowly felt calmer.
……………….
The big ship sailed all the way inshore and arrived at Lushun in a calm manner. The ship that arrived before the big ship was the clipper sent by Guo Dajing to report the news.
After Guo Dajing led his team to land, he did not rush to Haizhou. Instead, he asked the officers stationed in Lushun to arrange a camp and take his men to rest for a day.
"The last general, Shang Keyi, is the deputy general of General Li Weiluan." Shang Keyi was very enthusiastic. After receiving the notification, he not only came to the dock to greet him in person, but also immediately arranged a camp.
Guo Dajing returned the greeting politely and asked tentatively: "I wonder if we are related to General Shang Kexi. Our names are very similar."
Shang Keyi laughed and said: "The general and Shang Kexi are uncles and brothers."
Guo Dajing laughed twice and said: "Looking at XX's memory, he actually forgot. Brother Shang once told XX that there is a brother in Lushun."
"That's the last general." Shang Keyi smiled nonchalantly, commanding his soldiers to help carry the trophies off the ship, and find a place for the prisoners to be imprisoned.
"General Guo, please rest in the fort." Shang Keyi extended the invitation warmly and said a little apologetically: "It's just that the fort is small, so your men will have to rest in the camp."
Guo Dajing didn't care about this, and declined Shang Keyi politely, and took his soldiers to the camp.
After a hasty meal, Guo Dajing lay down to rest.
After running around for more than ten days, I suddenly relaxed. Fatigue immediately hit my body. As soon as I closed my eyes, I quickly fell asleep.
The soldiers were in a similar state to him. They were snoring loudly in the camp, and no one was disturbed. They all fell into a deep and dead sleep.
I slept soundly, and when I opened my eyes again, it was already three o'clock in the morning outside. Guo Dajing got up to wash up, and then the soldiers reported. Shang Keyi came twice and saw that he was still asleep, so he didn't disturb him.
It seemed a bit rude, Guo Dajing thought, and went to Lushun Fort after dinner. He could make up for it by taking the initiative!
Yesterday, I only saw the construction of Lushun Fort from a distance, and knew that Li Weiluan was remodeling it according to the drawings he gave me. Now that he was getting closer, Guo Dajing observed and looked at it carefully, and couldn't help but nod his head.
Although it was rebuilt according to the city, there are still some shortcomings that cannot be made up for, but a fortress-like fortress, if defended properly, is enough to cause heavy casualties to the attacking captives.
"The last general has seen General Guo." After receiving the notification, Shang Keyi quickly rushed to the fort gate. After saluting, he led Guo Dajing and several soldiers into the fort.
"How about we go to the city first and have a look?" Guo Dajing said with a smile: "I am happy to see you. General Shang, don't blame me for being impatient."
Shang Keyi laughed, extended his hand to greet me, and said, "Even if General Guo doesn't tell me, I will still invite the general to visit the city and point out its shortcomings."
Guo Dajing walked up to the city and said as he walked: "I can't talk about giving advice. I'm talking about it on paper. It's the first time I've seen this kind of fortress. I need to learn more."
While talking, the two people, accompanied by their own soldiers, climbed onto the city wall and walked casually to watch.
Although Guo Dajing gave him the drawings, the truth was, as he said, it was just talk on paper. It was Li Weiluan and the Lushun soldiers who turned the fortress into reality.
Inclined and cross-fired, Guo Dajing stood on the edge of the city wall and observed, nodding his head repeatedly. Although it was not perfect, it did reflect the essence and elements of the bastion.
"There is also a trebuchet on the city. If the enemy wants to use bows and arrows to suppress them, they will inevitably suffer a heavy blow." Shang Keyi introduced with a smile: "This is a hanging sign. It is still very effective in protecting bows and arrows."
The principle is not complicated. It is similar to a heightened city wall or a large wooden shield. It does have a very good shielding and protective effect against bows and arrows thrown under the city.
Guo Dajing praised it and looked up at the field fortifications outside the city. He saw trenches crisscrossing the city, with several trenches in front and back, and more than a hundred meters wide, forming a three-dimensional defense system capable of attacking from above and below the city.
"There are trebuchets on the city and crossbows and firecrackers below the city. It is not easy for the enemy to get close to the city wall." Guo Dajing extended his thumb and praised sincerely: "If Lushun Fort has enough food and ammunition, there will be tens of thousands of prisoners to attack.
, it is also difficult to conquer.”
Shang Keyi was quite convinced of this and was not very humble. He said: "In order to reserve grain and grass, our officers and soldiers have reclaimed more than 100 acres of wasteland. Although there may be no harvest when Jianlu comes to attack, we cannot completely count on the imperial court.