Turning from defense to offense seems to be an independent action, but it is closely related to the "King Qin" plan.
Capturing Zhenjiang in a very short time and ambushing the Jianlu who came to help from Fengcheng was a big deal. It would make the Jianlu change their defenses and force them to strengthen the city's defenders.
On the one hand, this may force Jianlu to disperse his troops and strengthen the defense of the controlled area; on the other hand, if Jianlu wants to take a detour to enter the pass, he must leave sufficient troops behind.
The more troops there are to guard the house, the fewer troops will take a detour to enter the customs. This will be more conducive to the smooth implementation of the "King of Qin" plan.
Mao Wenlong agreed with Guo Dajing's analysis and judgment, so he agreed to attack Zhenjiang.
As long as the fortified city can be captured quickly without giving the main force of reinforcements time to reinforce, this victory will indeed have a great impact on the situation in Liaodong.
The main force of Jianlu was concentrated in Liaoshen. It would take at least five or six days from the time a letter for help was sent from Zhenjiang to the time when the main force was assembled and rushed to Zhenjiang.
Whether we can capture Zhenjiang guarded by three thousand Jianlu in five or six days will be the key to success or failure.
Since Guo Dajing said that he was 70 to 80% sure, Mao Wenlong knew that it was definitely not the kind of siege tactics that cost lives.
"I know the situation in Liaodong better than you do." Mao Wenlong pondered for a moment and said, "I will make the combat plan! In addition, I have sent an order for the former associates from Naughty Island to come to Jinzhou."
"Thank you so much, Marshal. You have worked hard on the battle plan, Marshal." Guo Dajing did not want to grab this job. He was indispensable during the battle anyway.
Pi Dao's former associates can come to join the battle. Although not all the troops, there must be at least five or six thousand people. This makes Jinzhou's defense more impregnable, and the defensive counterattack can be bolder and more violent.
Mao Wenlong let out a long breath, relaxed his body, leaned into the chair, and gently rubbed his temples.
He got up very early, had some breakfast, and then started reading the "King Qin" plan. He was thinking hard, planning, and calculating. It was already noon, and he felt tired.
Guo Dajing said: "Commander, why don't you go for a walk and relax your mind? I will treat you to a meal outside."
Mao Wenlong chuckled, stood up and said, "I've been sitting here all morning, so it's good to move my body."
It doesn't matter what you eat, the key is to change the environment, relax your mood, and rest your brain.
The two of them left the house, not bringing many people with them. They each had two soldiers, and they were free to rein their horses, led by Guo Dajing, and walked slowly towards the Military Intelligence Department.
Guo Dajing asked one of his soldiers to leave quickly and informed Zhou Qing and Ma Min to prepare wine and food, but did not say that Marshal Mao was also with them.
"The general has pretty much taken care of everything here." Guo Dajing was half a horse's head behind, turning his head to ask Mao Wenlong what he meant, "I plan to return to Nanguan the day after tomorrow. Commander, are you going with the general, or are you going with me?" alone?"
Mao Wenlong shook his horse whip lightly and said with a smile: "I am unfamiliar with this place, so I really can't miss you as a guide."
"It's an honor for the general." Guo Dajing said with a smile: "Commander, it's better to sit in Jinzhou in the future and boost the morale of the people."
Mao Wenlong did not make a decision immediately and said ambiguously: "We will discuss this matter later."
Guo Dajing knew that Mao Wenlong was still entangled in the matter of moving the town, but he had already made it clear before that he could use this to ask for food, wages and supplies from the court, so he said no more.
Going to the Military Intelligence Department, Guo Dajing wanted to pass on the "King Qin" plan. He started preparing now. By this time next year, he didn't dare to say that he would be fully prepared.
Moreover, if these two people have questions, Mao Wenlong will answer them. The spy network he has will definitely know more and more detailed information.
………………
It was almost dusk, and Mao Wenlong, accompanied by Guo Dajing, returned to the house.
Guo Dajing said goodbye and left. He would finish the trivial matters tomorrow and accompany Mao Wenlong on a tour of Jinzhou the day after tomorrow.
Mao Wenlong walked into the hall and immediately noticed a few more things. Large vases on the left and right, ceramic ornaments on the table, and a whale oil lamp with a glass cover.
"Husband, you are back!" Mao Shen hurried over with a smile on her face and seemed to be in a very good mood.
Mao Wenlong pointed and said with some displeasure: "These were given by Fujino Hide? They were sold for business, you..."
Mao Shen hurriedly took Mao Wenlong's arm and explained softly: "Aying insisted on giving it to me because the house was quite empty and it would be nice to put some things there. There were so many porcelains, but I only took a few pieces.
That’s all.”
Mao Wenlong shook his head helplessly and said no more.
"Husband, come and see these two large vases." Mao Shen pulled Mao Wenlong closer and said with a smile: "Look at the poems above. They are suitable for your status and have great momentum."
Mao Wenlong walked to the vase and looked at it carefully. There were mountains and rivers, and a small boat in the rushing water. Two lines of poetry stood out in front of his eyes, "I am confident that in a life of two hundred years, I will be like the water hitting three thousand miles."
"Good, good. When you are born in this world, you should have such ambitions." Mao Wenlong stroked his beard and praised, chanting: "The Peng moved to Nanming, and the water struck three thousand miles away."
Seeing that her husband liked her, Mao Shen felt happy and said with a smile: "It's a pity that there are only these two sentences, and Aying can't do anything about it."
"What do you mean there is no way?" Mao Wenlong was a little surprised and asked: "Where do these two sentences come from?"
Mao Shen shook his head and said: "Aying said that he collected it from all over the world, and many of them are incomplete sentences."
Mao Wenlong blinked, feeling that this statement was really unbelievable, but Fujino Hide or Guo Dajing didn't want to reveal the secret, and he couldn't force them to do anything.
"Husband, this vase is complete." Mao Shen led Mao Wenlong to the other side and pointed with his hand.
A high-spirited military general wearing a helmet stood sideways, his face unclear, his hand pressed on the hilt of his sword, he seemed to be looking at the picturesque mountains and mountains, and he seemed to be staring at the battlefield where the two armies were fighting.
"If your strength is weak and the responsibilities are heavy, your spirit will be exhausted for a long time. If you continue to exhaust yourself and become mediocre, you will no longer be able to survive.******,******?"
Mao Wenlong recited softly, but suddenly his expression calmed down. He neither praised nor criticized, but looked a little stunned.
Mao Shen was a little confused and said from the side: "Husband, if you don't like it, I will take my concubine to another one tomorrow."
Mao Wenlong hummed, his eyes regained their intelligence, and he said in a deep voice: "I won't change it, I won't change it anymore. Go and see the food, I'm a little hungry."
Mao Shen agreed, turned around and left.
Standing in front of the vase for a long time, Mao Wenlong savored the poem carefully, as if it was telling his heart, as if it was what he wanted to say deep in his heart.
With low abilities and heavy responsibilities, I already feel exhausted. No matter how great the pressure is, no matter how many difficulties there are, I am afraid that my aging body and mediocre talent will definitely not be able to support it.
But if it is beneficial to the country and the country, I will work hard and take life and death lightly. Even if I know that there is a huge disaster ahead, I will never avoid it.
There are powerful enemies outside and ministers inside. Mao Wenlong feels increasing pressure, but he still has to hold on. Not only for the country and the people, but also for Dongjiang Town, he cannot fall.
What's more, it's not just you who is carrying the burden forward? Guo Dajing, Chen Jisheng, as well as the generals, soldiers, and people of Dongjiang Town, aren't they all under pressure, but working hard to live for the hope in their hearts?
Sighing heavily, Mao Wenlong slowly turned around, walked to the chair and sat down, closing his eyes slightly, stroking his forehead, and fell into complex thoughts.
………………
Nanguan Defense Line.
On the battlefield, people shouted to kill Zhentian, one attack and one defense. The men and horses of the two associations were conducting offensive and defensive drills.
Kong Youde and Li Jiucheng's rear assistants acted as the defenders, while the right assistants led by Li Weiluan played the offensive role.
The defensive position was hundreds of meters deep. Between the two wide trenches, there were jagged arrays of sharp wooden stakes. There was a passage in the middle, but it was tortuous and narrow.
Li Jiucheng held up his telescope and estimated the "enemy's" attack speed and the strength of the attacking troops.
Kong Youde frowned, put down his telescope, and gave the order in a deep voice, and the Hongyi artillery began to bombard.
In terms of range, mortars have the highest range, reaching more than 1,500 meters, but they are not the first to fire.
The effective range of the Hongyi cannon is five to six hundred meters. Whether it is destroying a carriage or crashing into an enemy formation, its power cannot be underestimated.
However, after all, the Hongyi cannon was not designed to kill the enemy face-to-face, and its firing speed was slow, so it certainly could not stop Jianlu's charge. Of course, there was no hope of repelling Jianlu with this weapon.
When the prisoners rushed to the first trench to fill the trench or build a bridge, the trebuchet began to show its power, using the characteristics of parabolic throwing to smash bombs and deflagration bombs at the enemy, killing and wounding personnel and burning the trebuchets.
And this is not a means of fully blocking Jianlu, more ferocious firepower is yet to come.
When the soldiers have filled in the first trench, or filled in several passages, and killed the trenches.
The uneven ground, uneven but not densely packed with wooden piles, nor too long, lay in front of them.
The carriages would be useless in front of these obstacles. Jianlu could only rely on shields and heavy armor for protection and continue to attack forward.
Looking up, we saw that we were less than a hundred meters away from the defenders' position, and there was only one trench blocking them. It was only over one meter wide and could be jumped over.
Jianlu seemed to be able to see the hope of a breakthrough, but in fact, the weapon that caused the most damage to Jianlu, the musket, began to fire violently at the enemy who had no carts.
Although the artillery is powerful, the effect of sound and light is amazing, and it has a great deterrent effect on the enemy. But the actual number of kills is not as good as thousands of musket shots.
This is normal, and the artillery at that time was just like that. The Hongyi cannon fired big iron balls, and other artillery could fire explosive bombs, but the power of black powder was not too powerful.
Behind the last blocking trench was a wooden pile array with a depth of only more than thirty meters, and then there were three trench parapets no more than ten meters apart.
The first trench is filled with heavy armored pikemen and some light Franco machine guns, the second trench is filled with light musketeers, and the third trench is filled with heavy musketeers.
The three trenches are in the shape of a staircase. Whether it is a Franco machine gun or a light or heavy musket, there will be no obstruction in shooting and can be fired at the same time.
When the charging Jianlu crossed the last blocking trench and there was only a wooden pile array of more than 30 meters in front, the light and heavy muskets and Franco machine guns began to fire, inflicting the most brutal damage to the Jianlu.
At this time, the forward breakthrough is imminent. In order to ensure the continuity and sustainability of the attack, the rear team's formations should also be launched.
The Jianlu Brigade pressed forward menacingly, stretching over a large area, which is when the defenders opened up their firepower.
Mortars, Hongyi cannons, trebuchets, Franchise machines, light muskets, heavy muskets, lead bullets, artillery shells, and explosive bombs will cover the attacking troops from front to back with overwhelming force.
Cruel or not, poisonous or not, just ask Jianlu, are you afraid of him?
"Based on this impact speed, the Hongyi cannon can fire eighty-nine shots." Li Jiucheng put down his telescope and said: "It is impossible for the Jianlu to deploy the entire defense line of more than ten miles. The Hongyi cannon, which can bombard the front and side, should
No more than six doors.”
Kong Youde nodded vigorously, and as soon as he loosened his grip, he dropped the telescope hanging around his neck, "Jianlu will probably attack from more points, and the attack surface of each point will be about thirty or fifty steps."
Jianlu usually uses Niulu as their organizational unit, which is 300 people. It is expected that there will be at least five attack points, and three Niulu will be placed before and after each attack point.
In total, this means that nearly 5,000 men and horses were invested at one time.
Facing the formidable defense facilities, Jianlu also knew the strength of the Jinzhou Dongjiang Army, and had the experience and lessons of the failure of the two red flags' offensive. The offensive force would only be more than 5,000.
Moreover, Jianlu should know that a tentative attack by a small force is useless, and they are bound to win. Therefore, it is extremely possible to invest tens of thousands of troops in a fierce attack in order to succeed.
The more Jianlu who attack, the better. Just use all your strength to defend and counterattack. There is no need to hold back and attack to lure more Jianlu to their death.
Li Jiucheng laughed and said: "Our army has 30,000 troops, strong positions, and sharp firearms. If Jianlu wants to break through the defense line, he can't even think about it if he doesn't have 50,000 or 60,000 troops."
Kong Youde deeply agreed with this and said: "I didn't expect that the Nanguan defense line has been built so solidly, it is simply daunting. Anyway, if it were a certain family to attack such fortifications, they would have no confidence at all.
"
"Jianlu may not be so wise." Li Jiucheng said: "Without a tall city and a deep and wide moat, how could Jianlu know the power of it?"
This is indeed the case. When Jianlu attacked Ningyuan, Jinzhou, and Lushun Fort, they all encountered setbacks under the tall city walls. But this was the first time they faced such fortifications built on flat ground.
There are no city walls, no moats, and no dangerous terrain, so Jianlu is naturally unfamiliar. Even if there is a tentative attack, it doesn't matter. Who doesn't know how to hide their strength?
Just waiting for Jianlu to launch a large-scale attack, the firepower here will be full, letting Jianlu know what times have changed and what an overwhelming attack means.
"I want to fight for a position to be guarded by my own troops." Kong Youde looked at Li Jiucheng and asked for his opinion, "What do you think?"
Li Jiucheng nodded and said: "I also have this intention. Although the men and horses of the two associations are almost enough to hold the defense line, the rear association has not made any achievements, which is hard to say."