Chapter two hundred and fiftieth full preparations
Beshay Mountain City.
More than forty mortars, a large amount of ammunition, and a thousand light muskets have just arrived, arriving with Guo Dajing.
"The last general has met the general." After Liu Xingzhi and the generals had finished saluting, he led Guo Dajing into the mountain city.
"The equipment rate of muskets has reached 60%, which is also the highest in Dongjiang Town." Guo Dajing said as he walked: "Add in nearly a hundred large and small artillery, and more than 5,000 people to guard the mountain city, we should be confident, right?"
"Don't worry, sir, the general and the soldiers guarding the city have made complete preparations." Liu Xingzhi hurriedly assured: "I don't dare to say that it is impregnable, but I am confident of resisting tens of thousands of captives."
One man can guard the gate, but ten thousand men cannot open it.
The five thousand soldiers of Besha Mountain City, plus hundreds of artillery, relying on the favorable terrain and solid fortifications, are fully able to withstand three to four times, or even four to five times the number of enemies.
The key is that even if the enemy has a strength advantage, it cannot use it when attacking the mountain city.
With a mortar with a range of three miles and the advantage of being at a commanding height, the artillery fire can cover the road below the mountain and a large area around it.
Guo Dajing also adopted a skewed supply approach for the troops garrisoned in Besha Mountain City. For the same battalion, the equipment rate of muskets was 20 to 30% higher.
More than three thousand light and heavy muskets were enough to inflict heavy casualties on the attacking Jianlu.
Guo Dajing nodded, smiled, and said: "Jianlu is also stepping up preparations, but I estimate that it is most likely to be launched in winter. Jianlu thinks it is more suitable to fight in winter, and our army also needs to do some seasonal operations.
Defense preparations.”
"The general will understand." Liu Xingzhi followed Guo Dajing to the top of the city, pointed with his hand and said: "Splashing water on the hillside to freeze, or condensing ice on the city wall to reinforce it, are all feasible defense methods in winter. The general will make a plan.
, please review and make corrections, General."
"Just listen to these two tactics, I can rest assured." Guo Dajing praised with a smile, raised his binoculars and looked around.
With continuous construction and improvement, the mountain city of Besha is stronger than it was a few months ago. The big trees on the hillside have been cut down, but many sharp wooden stakes more than one foot high have been planted.
As a result, the enemy attacking the mountain city has no place to hide or cover, and has to climb the mountain while avoiding obstacles, which adds even greater difficulties.
If it is winter, there will be ice, snow, and obstacles, which can make people feel discouraged and discouraged at a glance.
Therefore, in the opinion of Guo Dajing and Liu Xingzhi, Jianlu might launch an attack. After being defeated, they would most likely choose to leave troops to guard the area, and the army would continue to march towards the Nanguan defense line.
This is a bit like the Battle of Ningjin. If Jinzhou cannot be defeated, they will move across to attack Ningyuan. Anyway, the defenders of these two cities do not dare to leave the city to fight, and the captives have the freedom to advance and retreat.
But Besa Mountain City was different. It not only designed and planned several secret routes to harass the enemy, but also installed mortars that could bombard the road below the mountain.
"I think it's best not to use artillery piecemeal." Guo Dajing put down his telescope, pointed at the road down the mountain, and expressed his thoughts, "When the Jianlu were defeated at the Nanguan defense line and retreated, then fire violently at them."
Liu Xingzhi thought for a moment and said: "The general thought that when the Jianlu wanted to bypass Besha Mountain City and advance towards the Nanguan defense line, they could also fire artillery bombardments."
Seeing Guo Dajing's gaze, Liu Xingzhi cupped his hand and said with a smile: "The general's good intentions are appreciated by the general. But all the soldiers in Besha Mountain City are looking forward to a big battle with Jianlu, killing them with corpses everywhere."
It was also a bombing of the marching formation of Jianluo people gathered on the main road, but the front and back were different.
Before Jianlu attacked the Nanguan defense line, the attack on Beshashan City might have diverted Jianlu's attention and stormed Beishashan City first.
If the Jianlu troops begin to retreat, when their morale is low, it may be difficult for them to have the determination to attack the mountain city and continue to pay casualties.
Guo Dajing laughed, patted Liu Xingzhi's arm lightly, and said: "You are the guard general, and it is your right to command how you want to. But I want to remind you that the firepower of the Nanguan defense line is more fierce and sharp. Do not allow the prisoners to be built."
It’s such a pity to have seen so much.”
Liu Xingzhi blinked his eyes, bowed and said, "General, I understand."
"In one battle, the Jianlu were frightened and they lost their will and confidence to attack the enemy." Guo Dajing turned his sights to the north and said loudly: "According to the plan, after severely inflicting heavy losses on the invading Jianlu, our army will advance into Fuzhou in the spring of next year.
, even Gaizhou, to seize more land and occupy a larger territory."
Land means wealth and is the driving force for the development and growth of Dongjiang Town. This has been undoubtedly revealed after the recovery of Jinzhou this year.
Although the autumn harvest will not be completely over for nearly a month, the specific data has yet to be compiled. However, the output of potatoes and rye alone can already support the food of the soldiers and civilians of Dongjiang Town for more than half a year.
Coupled with the harvest of corn and other crops, the soldiers and civilians of Dongjiang Town already have enough to eat for a year.
In other words, it is just a Golden State that has achieved self-reliance with the help of high-yield and early-maturing crops.
Although this is only for food, other equipment and supplies still cannot get rid of dependence on the outside world. But this huge progress has undoubtedly made Jinzhou the most important guarantee for the survival and development of Dongjiang Town.
Dongjiang Town, or Mao Wenlong, will certainly not be satisfied with this, and will recruit a large number of Liao people to increase the population and improve military and production capabilities.
There are more people and more consumption. Of course, more than half of the Golden State can not satisfy it. Continuing to recover the lost land and obtain profits from the land has become an inevitable choice.
At the same time, Mao Wenlong and other high-level officials should also see how much the land motivates the soldiers and civilians of Dongjiang Town, and its value can further enable the implementation of support for the injured and compensation for death.
People's hearts and morale can be seen and felt, and it can be judged from their mental outlook, speech and behavior whether they are lifeless or full of vitality.
This is the main reason why Mao Wenlong sent another association to Jinzhou, not only to help with the autumn harvest, but also to provide reinforcements to prevent the Jianlu from attacking.
At the same time, due to the limited conditions of Pidao and Yuncong, whether it is farming or firewood harvesting, it is quite difficult for the troops stationed in the two associations.
That's why Kong Youde and Li Jiucheng came up with the idea of eating in Jinzhou.
For the Jianlu who did not have a navy, Pidao and Yuncong were places where they could not attack, so there was no need to worry about their safety. Launching an offensive in Liaodong was also Mao Wenlong's short-term plan.
Guo Dajing also analyzed and judged this very clearly. In order to strengthen the strength of the Jinzhou garrison and possible big operations next year, he wanted to retain the rear association.
One of the reasons for retaining the Houxie is to expand the territory. A larger occupied area naturally requires more troops to be stationed.
Liu Xingzhi had long known that when Guo Dajing regained Jinzhou, he had planned to push the defense line to Shiheyi and Xiaoheishan.
That was to include the entire Jinzhou. However, due to the lack of troops, it was difficult to hold the two roads into Jinzhou, so we finally gave up.
In addition to military strength, Liu Xingzhi felt that building the city would be too expensive, which was also one of the reasons why Guo Dajing canceled the plan.
In his mind, only a bastion like Port Arthur, coupled with cannons and guns, was indestructible, and it was several times stronger than the copycat version of Beisha Mountain City.
Obviously, the financial resources of Dongjiang Town are not capable of building a fortress in Shiheyi or building a mountain city in Xiaoheishan.
Moreover, it is time-consuming and labor-intensive, and the Jianlu may not tolerate the leisurely construction of Dongjiang Town.
"General, have you solved the manpower and funds to build the city?" Liu Xingzhi asked casually: "General, I thought that if we push forward to Luangu Pass, there is an old city that can be repaired, which will save a lot of time."
Guo Dajing looked at Liu Xingzhi, blinked his eyes, and realized that Liu Xingzhi had a misunderstanding. He thought that in order to occupy more territory, he had to build a city for defense.
Smiling and shaking his head, Guo Dajing explained: "Our army will not build a city easily in the future because it would be too expensive. But we will try our best to rely on the old dilapidated walled city and take advantage of its higher terrain..."
Hot weapons must be like hot weapons in combat. Guo Dajing's plan was to use the foundation of the dilapidated walled city as a basis, and then supplement it with trenches, Malu Village and other field fortifications to form a defense system.
Walled cities are mostly built on high places, and even if only the foundation is left, they are more suitable for placing artillery. Trench parapet fortifications can provide good protection for musketeers.
This is the most economical way to build a defensive stronghold, and it is also the fastest. But there is a prerequisite, that is, the firepower must be strong enough to crush the enemy's attack.
Guo Dajing had carefully deduced that based on a battalion of 5,000 people, if the musket equipment rate reached more than 60% and there were 1,000 heavy muskets, supplemented by artillery bombardment, it would be enough to meet the standard.
The so-called standard is to be able to withstand two to three times or even more enemy attacks.
Since Liu Xingzhi asked, Guo Dajing did not hide it. After brainstorming, his own ideas and deductions will inevitably have loopholes.
Moreover, Liu Xingzhi and several military officers were nearby, so it would be good to hold a small seminar.
Finding an open space, Guo Dajing sat down and invited Liu Xingzhi and others to sit around. He drew an outline on the ground with a wooden stick and talked about his ideas.
"Take the Gaizhou Acropolis as an example. Although the city wall was damaged, there was no need to repair it. Instead, it was slightly repaired and muskets and artillery were deployed to gain a commanding position. Blocking trenches were dug outside the city and deer villages were set up to resist the horses...
…”
As Guo Dajing spoke, wooden sticks were scratched on the ground, and a simple defense plan gradually took shape and appeared in front of everyone.
In addition to the simple and easy-to-make mortar, the manufacturing technology has been mature, and the Fran cannon, which has been imitated for decades, will also become the main firearm equipped by the Dongjiang Town army, taking advantage of its fast rate of fire and relatively light weight.
Coupled with the echelon arrangement of light and heavy muskets, enemies whose impact speed is limited by obstacles such as trenches, deer villages, and horse barriers will be hit by layered firepower.
"...There must be at least three trenches, that is, three lines of defense, more than twenty steps apart, plus the troops on the city base, to form a defense in depth..."
"...If the enemy rushes forward, the soldiers in the first trench must dare to rush out to fight, fight with the larger number, and engage in hand-to-hand combat with swords and guns to repel the enemy..."
No matter how sharp the firearms are, no matter how good the tactics are, they still need powerful troops to execute them. No matter what weapons and tactics are used by a weak army that is about to collapse, it will be in vain.
Guo Dajing drew a long line, marked several circles, and explained, "Going south from Liaoshen, you must pass through Gaizhou Guard, Xiongyueyi, Deliying City, and Luangu Pass... And our army's defense line is getting farther and farther. Advancing northward, along the route of Hongzui Fort and Guifu Fort along the coast, it will be even more impossible for the Jianlu to take it."
One is the main post road, going north from Jinzhou through Fuzhou, Gaizhou, Haizhou, to Liaoyang, and then to Shenyang; the other is the coastal Fenghuo Baozhai, which extends eastward along the coastline after leaving Jinzhou until Jiulian City.
To put it bluntly, these are two directions. They are closest to each other at the northern border of Jinzhou and Fuzhou, and then they part ways.
Because of this, Guo Dajing advocated pushing the defense line as far north as possible. This would save the need for defensive back roads, or only use a small number of troops to be just in case.
According to the transportation and road conditions at that time, when the army was marching, even if it was cavalry, as long as it carried food and supplies, it relied heavily on the main road, which was the main post road in southern Liaoning.
Therefore, Guo Dajing seemed to give an example casually, but in fact, he was indeed very optimistic about Gaizhou Acropolis.
Gaizhou Acropolis was founded by the commander Wu Yu in the fifth year of Hongwu. In the ninth year of Hongwu, Marquis Jingbian opened the south side and laid bricks. It has a circumference of five miles and eighty-eight steps, a height of one foot and a half, a pool depth of one foot and a half, and a width of one foot. Eight feet.
It can be seen that this is a medium-sized city, with a circumference of more than five miles, which is only half of the Nanguan Defense Line, but it is much larger than the Lushun Fort with a circumference of one mile and 300 paces, and more than six miles in circumference. Ningyuan City is smaller.
If the city is too big, it requires a lot of troops, the defense range is large, and it is difficult to defend. If the city is too small, it can only station 1,800 soldiers, and it is too weak.
The size of the Gaizhou Acropolis can be said to be very suitable. It is more than enough to garrison a group of troops, and it can also store a lot of food and supplies.
More importantly, the west of Gaizhou Acropolis is the sea, and across the sea is Lianyun Island. Lianyun Island is fifteen miles northwest of Gaizhou Acropolis, outside the mouth of Daqing River. "History of Ming Dynasty·Geography" Gaizhou Acropolis : "There is Lianyun Island, and it's related."
Lianyun Island was originally a sudden and isolated island off the coast of Gaizhou, leaning on the sea on one side and surrounded by rivers on three sides, covering an area of nearly four square kilometers. Because of its mountains controlling the river and sea fortresses, and the land straddling the border and dangerous passes, it has been a battleground for military strategists since ancient times.
As early as the Zhenguan period, Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty led his army to conquer the Liao Dynasty and stationed troops here; during the Liao and Jin Dynasties, fierce battles were also fought here.
In the early Ming Dynasty, when a garrison was set up in Guangdong, Liaodong, the Liaodong Dusi set up a pass here, which was Lianyundao Pass. The pass set up piers and garrisoned troops.
To the northeast of Gaizhou Acropolis is Shicheng Mountain. To the north is Pingshan, with a salt field below it. To the east is Zhuzhi Mountain, to the west is Binhai, with Lianyun Island, and above is Guan. There is Ni River to the east, Qing River to the south, and Bili to the southeast. The river flows downstream into the sea.
There is Yongning Supervisory City to the south, Liangfangkou Pass to the northwest, where shipping boats enter the Liao River, and there is a salt field next to it. There is Shimen Pass to the east, a salt field to the west, and an iron field to the north...
Precisely because Gaizhou Acropolis was built in accordance with war requirements, there are many Fenghuo piers, Tuerdao pier, Guizhou pier, Bailangshan pier, etc. around it, which can quickly form a relatively solid defense system.
Therefore, Guo Dajing was most optimistic about this place and believed that it would be enough to build the northern defense line of the Liaonan base and protect the vast area of Jin, Fu, and Gaizhou.
Of course, in the eyes of Liu Xingzhi and others, directly advancing the defense line to Gaizhou was a step too far. However, Guo Dajing was giving examples, and they did not take them too seriously.
"If thousands of people dig trenches day and night, it can be almost completed in two days." Liu Xingzhi estimated and stretched out his hand to draw a circle, indicating that this was a system of trenches and trenches for a siege or a siege.
Qiu Zhentai nodded and said: "Jianlu got the news, mobilized his troops, and then came to attack. It may not be possible to do it in two days."
"Even if it takes three or four days to arrive, the Jianlu troops will still have to advance with light cavalry." An officer said firmly: "Without siege equipment, they can only hit their heads and bleed."
Guo Dajing smiled and nodded. This is the advantage of quickly building field defenses.
Although it is not as strong as a tall city, relying on the sharpness of firearms, it can still withstand the attack of the enemy in a hurry.
Building a city like the one in Liaoxi is difficult to complete in less than a few months. Not only does it cost money, but it is also full of variables. Jianlu and you play the game of building, demolishing, demolishing and building. How much money does the Ming Dynasty have to fill this bottomless pit?
Moreover, the construction of cities such as Jinzhou and Dalinghe seemed to regain lost territory, but it did not pose much of a threat to the built captives. Instead, they jumped into the pit themselves.
From the results of the Battle of Ningjin, it can be seen that Jianlu's siege and reinforcements were very vicious, and the Ming army without field combat capabilities could not break it.
From Jinzhou to Liaoshen, there is also the Guangning area as a buffer. Even if the Jianlu don't come to attack you, can you still continue to advance eastward?
The advance of the fortresses in a line will not only consume food and money, but also create opportunities for the rebels to siege the city and provide reinforcements, and will defeat them one by one, what value does it have?
Alas, forget it, let’s not talk about it, don’t think about it anymore, it’s really depressing.
Everyone said something to each other, and everyone made comments, suggestions, or made assumptions and deductions about the new defense system proposed by Guo Dajing, and they continued to improve it in a warm atmosphere.
……………..
In July of the first year of Chongzhen, the newly appointed Denglai Dao Wang Tingzhao reported to the court that the number of soldiers approved by Dongjiang Town was 36,000, which was the number of soldiers set by Emperor Tianqi.
In October of the first year of Chongzhen, the imperial court ordered Dongjiang to stop paying military pay on the grounds that Mao Wenlong had received more military pay during the Tianqi period.
That's right, it's not just about cutting wages, it's about cutting off wages.
Chongzhen's ruthlessness and cold-bloodedness were fully revealed at this time. Based on the army quota of 36,000, he liquidated the excess during the Tianqi years.
Because Mao Wenlong reported the number of soldiers and civilians in Dongjiang Town during the Tianqi Year, the imperial court distributed the number of 150,000 soldiers at seven coins and one hu of rice per person per month.
Of course, when the number of people issued by the imperial court reached Dongjiang Town, it would be very good to achieve 70%. The rest were "drifted away" by the civil servants.
Now, Chongzhen only counts the number of soldiers and does not count the people of Dongjiang Town. Moreover, anything that Tianqi exceeds this amount over the years is considered to be Mao Wenlong's fault.
What is even more chilling is that Chongzhen not only cut off the military salary of Dongjiang Town, but also used this as a basis to pursue Tianqi for the excess amount over the years.
Mao Wenlong immediately went to court to defend himself, revealing once again that Dongjiang Town's food and salary payments had been delayed, short of a few pounds, and insufficient amounts were paid.