If a defensive posture is adopted, 26,000 to 7,000 men are enough to withstand twice the enemy attack. The number of troops that Huang Taiji can use to bypass the pass should be around 30,000.
With the reduction in troop strength, the navy can increase the number of heavy weapons it can transport. Boxcars, Fran cannons, and even mortars and ammunition can all help strengthen the combat effectiveness of the troops.
If more cavalry can be brought, say three thousand, heavy weapons can also be abandoned by Guo Dajing.
Mao Wenlong glanced at Guo Dajing and said: "If you are worried about not having enough naval ships, there is no need. If you have other ideas, let us discuss them."
"Yes!" Guo Dajing bowed and explained his reasons.
Mao Wenlong stroked his beard and thought, but did not answer for a long time.
When fighting in the capital, you don’t need to carry too much food and supplies. The Jianlu can support the war by fighting, and the Dongjiang army can also buy food to support themselves.
Well, buying is a polite way of saying it. When marching and fighting, you won’t bring gold and silver with you. Even if you do, it won’t be so much that it will affect your actions.
But it's not an outright robbery, but a purchase on credit with an IOU, or expropriation. As for whether to come to Jinzhou to collect debts in the future, or whether the court will fill the hole, that's another matter.
"You can bring more artillery, but you should bring more." Mao Wenlong was still a little worried about pure infantry resisting the Jiannu cavalry. After thinking about it, he said: "There is still time, build more ships and train sailors, that's it."
Why didn't Guo Dajing want to be armed to the teeth? It would be easy to land the artillery and ammunition, and then march with the army. The speed would probably add a lot of variables to a sure battle.
"Don't worry, Commander." Guo Dajing had no choice but to lie first and said: "The rocket is easy to carry and easy to launch. The general is trying to find a way to transport it to Qinhuangdao in advance and store it."
Mao Wenlong lowered his head and said with regret: "It would be great if the artillery and ammunition could be transported in advance. Well, it is too difficult. Once exposed, the consequences will be disastrous."
Guo Dajing was also concerned about this, so he did not dare to be too blatant. Although Zhenfusi and Dongchang were partially disabled by Chongzhen, don't regard them as dead.
Once discovered, how to explain it? The Dongjiang Army went to Gyeonggi to stockpile weapons and ammunition. This was not a rebellion. Even the whole body could not explain it clearly!
"That's right." Guo Dajing changed the topic and reported: "Last night Shen Qizhong asked the general. Although he spoke in a vague way, he also revealed his dissatisfaction with Renzu and Shen Qiyuan's previous intention to establish Huai Enjun.
Meaning. The general promised him that he would report it to the commander-in-chief and support the actions of the North Korean Loyalty Faction."
Mao Wenlong had already expected this, so he couldn't help but smile and said: "What Renzu and Huai'enjun are, in my opinion, there is no difference. Of course, if it is beneficial to Dongjiang Town, I will support them."
Guo Dajing said: "North Korea's attitude towards the rebels is still related to the destruction of the captives in Pingliao. The general will not think it is a problem. Let's wait and see how the situation develops in the future."
"Just do what you want." Mao Wenlong said: "Shen Qiyuan and Lin Qingye also provided help to Dongjiang Town, and we will reciprocate."
A bright pink band appeared on the eastern horizon, and the sun was about to peek out of the horizon, generously bestowing light and warmth on the earth.
Mao Wenlong and Guo Dajing stopped talking and looked quietly to the east, waiting for the moment when the sun rose. It was another bright morning, and it was rare that they had time to watch the majestic sunrise before the war.
The sun shines all over the earth, and as the temperature rises, hustle and bustle fills the inside and outside of Zhenjiang Fort.
With the smoke curling up and the fragrance filling the air, the soldiers in the military camp began to cook and eat. The enemies in the city were also prepared and ready, knowing that today would be a fierce battle.
Rogga, with his helmet on, stood at the head of the city, looking to the west from time to time, hoping to see the smoke and dust of the cavalry coming, or to hear the sound of gunfire.
Fengcheng's reinforcements should be arriving soon, in two hours at most. And in this short period of time, can't Zhenjiang Fort still be defended?
Rogga would never believe this. Jiannu was actually quite confident about riding and shooting, close combat, and relying on solid defense.
This can be seen during the conquest of North Korea. There were not many defenders left in the occupied cities. If they were all captives, I am confident that one thousand people would be enough to withstand the attack of tens of thousands of enemies.
Of course, it was precisely because of this blind self-confidence that Guo Dajing took advantage of the loophole, and also allowed the Dongjiang Army and the Korean volunteers to seize the opportunity.
Even though they suffered losses in Korea, Jianlu did not pay enough attention to defending the city. In their view, the garrison of 3,000 elite soldiers at Zhenjiang Fort was enough attention and nothing could go wrong.
Roga was equally confident about this, especially when he saw that the enemy did not have powerful siege equipment and only had a dozen ladders, he pursed his lips slightly.
"It is extremely arrogant for the enemy to try to break through the fortress with just a ladder." A Jianlu officer was also full of frivolity and disdain, "Sir, I will leave the defense of the west to the minions, and I will ensure that they will be killed with corpses everywhere."
Roga shook his head and said: "Don't underestimate the enemy. The enemy will definitely use artillery, so be prepared."
The Jianlu officer said so, but he didn't think so in his heart.
Although that kind of artillery fires far, it seems that it is not easy to accurately land on the city wall. If it is a direct-fire artillery that shoots iron pellets and destroys the city wall, it should be even more difficult to deal with.
Under the city, the soldiers of the Dongjiang Army ate and drank enough and began to make final preparations. This was also the time Guo Dajing deliberately set aside. After eating, he should not do strenuous activities immediately. He should take it easy first to avoid getting appendicitis.
Guo Dajing first went to the entrance of the tunnel to inspect. All preparations for blasting had been completed. The fire line was led out from the connected hollow bamboo tube, one master and one backup, to ensure nothing went wrong.
"The tunnel support more than 20 steps away from the medicine room has been removed, and two small bombs have been planted. They will definitely collapse the tunnel and completely seal the medicine room." Geng Mingzhan pointed to the other two leads and reported to Guo Dajing.
.
Guo Dajing believes that such explosions will have enough power and sealing.
"Very good." Guo Dajing said: "Look at my order and light the fuses one by one so that everyone can see the power of Tuying."
Geng Mingzhan smiled and rubbed his hands in agreement, as if he was impatient to wait.
Seeing how this honest man looked, Guo Dajing couldn't help but laugh. He patted the generous shoulder hard, then turned around to arrange other things.
In less than half an hour, the attacking troops had gathered under the southern city wall, and the flying cavalry was divided into several teams to patrol around the city to prevent any captives from overturning the city and escaping.
The east and west gates were tightly blocked by more than a thousand musketeers and dozens of Fran machine guns, and not even a fly could escape.
In the south of the city, on both sides of the planned breakthrough, hundreds of heavy musketeers relied on the trench parapets to do all the work of suppressing firing.
Under the command of Kong Youde, the soldiers of the rear alliance attacking the city had already divided their work, and 3,000 men and horses were neatly lined up to wait.
"General Kong, as soon as the attack signal is given, we must attack with all our strength. Don't hesitate." Guo Dajing reminded with a smile: "If the city is blown open, the defenders of the city will inevitably suffer heavy casualties and fall into chaos. Don't delay the good opportunity.
!”
Kong Youde laughed and said: "General Guo, don't worry. He has already told you. Anyone who is timid or hesitant will be punished by military law. Moreover, during the attack, this general will personally go into battle to win the prize from the commander and be the first to get there."
"
Guo Dajing stretched out his thumb, gave it a thumbs up, and said, "Then I wish General Kong a great success."
On the city, Roga and others watched nervously at the enemies outside the city. The location of the attack was so obvious and the enemies did not hide it, which was somewhat unexpected.
There was no feint attack. There were no large groups of enemy infantry on the other three sides of Zhenjiang Fort. Almost all the thousands of troops were assembled in formation on the south side.
Since the enemy was arranged in this way, Roga didn't need to waste his brains and concentrated his troops on the southern city wall, leaving only a small number of troops on the other three sides.
The inner defense is convenient for mobilizing troops. If the enemy outside the city wants to change their attack point, it will definitely not be as fast as inside the city. Rogga has no doubt about this.
This will be a continuous and violent attack, and this is what the enemy has in mind. Rogga has already determined it and made corresponding arrangements.
The drums rumbled and the rhythm was not fast, just like when the infantry battle formation was advancing steadily forward.
"Check weapons, one last time."
"Prepare to attack and move forward with courage."
The officers roared loudly in front of the formation, making the last reminder and preparation before the battle.
The soldiers checked the muskets in their hands. As long as they opened the hammer, they would be in a ready state. The bayonet was also firmly placed and would not fall off easily.
Guo Dajing stood on a high place, and the flag bearer waved the flag and issued the order.
After a while, the ground outside the city shook, and it collapsed to form a long depression, and a not-too-heavy amount of smoke and dust rose up.
The people who saw this vision were confused and didn't know what was happening. Guo Dajing pursed his lips slightly, gave the order again, and then focused on the city wall, waiting for the earthquake to break out that day.
The war drums were still beating unhurriedly, and both the enemy and ourselves above and below the city seemed to be quiet, but few knew how shocking what was about to happen.
The ground was shaking, Guo Dajing felt it, and he narrowed his eyes.
People above and below the city also felt it. They didn't know why, they were confused, confused, or looked at each other in shock.
Suddenly, a deafening loud noise roared, and the southern wall of Zhenjiang Fort deformed and swelled at a speed visible to the naked eye, as if it was overturned by the huge force of the monster suppressing it.
Dust and dust flew up into the air, mixed with broken bricks and stones. Thick smoke enveloped the city wall in an area of nearly 100 meters, making it impossible for people to see a clear scene.
People were shocked by this strange phenomenon. After the loud noise, even the rumbling drums seemed to pause for a few seconds.
But Guo Dajing had already seen clearly that the city wall had been lifted off and collapsed dozens of meters away from the explosion point.
"Attack, attack." Guo Dajing roared, waking up the stunned messengers.
The flags were shaking violently, and the rhythm of the war drums was also accelerating, like a violent storm, urging the soldiers to take action.
"Charge, kill!" Kong Youde rode out, jumped over the parapet of the trench, and rushed towards the smoke-shrouded city wall.
Charge and kill!
The officers woke up slowly, roared loudly, and led their troops to charge.
Less than 200 meters away, when the soldiers rushed closer, the wind had already blown away a lot of the smoke.
Although there was still dust in the air, they could already see that a large gap had been blown out of the city wall, extending tens of meters along the gap, and the collapsed city wall became a slope that could be climbed up.
Kong Youde took the lead and rushed up the slope formed by the remaining soil and broken bricks. There was still smoke and dust in front of his eyes, and he smelled the choking smell of saltpetre and sulfur in his nose.
However, after rushing through a short distance, his vision suddenly opened up. He had rushed into the city and saw the houses and streets in the city.
There were only a handful of enemies, and all Jianlu within a hundred meters of the explosion point were either dead or injured, completely losing their combat effectiveness.
Jianlu, who was further away, was in panic and confusion, and had not yet reacted. Even if he did, it would be too late, too late.
A Jianlu officer stood up unsteadily from the debris of the earth and broken bricks. Looking at his drunken appearance, you could tell that he was still in a semi-conscious state.
Kong Youde rode away and stabbed Jianlu in the neck with his spear. With the power of his horse, he swept the Jianlu away in the air.
The smoke dissipated a little more, and officers and soldiers kept rushing out of the dust. After a slight daze, they realized that they had entered the city, and rushed forward with shouts.
"The city is broken!" Mao Wenlong held up his telescope and watched the siege troops disappearing into the thinning smoke at the gap in the city wall, and made a conclusion in a deep voice.
Mao Chenglu swallowed hard, rolled his eyes, slowly woke up from the shock, and put down the telescope.
Even without a telescope, you can now clearly see the city wall being blown apart and the soldiers pouring into the city.
"Indeed, I got an advantage over Lao Kong." A slight tremor could be heard in Mao Chenglu's voice, or to cover it up, he reluctantly joked, "It's easy to grab the advantage of being the first to get there."
Some people laughed and echoed, but their voices sounded a little dry, and it was obvious that the shock had not calmed down yet.
Shang Kexi shook his head slightly and smiled bitterly, regretting that he could not obey Guo Dajing's orders.
The opportunities to make contributions in the Zuo Xie are many times greater than in other armies.
Just because Guo Dajing is here, the Zuo Xie's combat power and prestige will inevitably surpass other troops. This is an undoubted fact.
Gunshots rang out. There were heavy musketry troops outside the city, firing at the Jianlu who reacted to suppress them; there were also attacking troops inside the city. Only then did the real battle begin.
Obviously, it was only now that the Jianlu, who had suffered heavy losses, reacted to resist the enemies rushing into the city. However, it was already too late.
The city is broken?!
Luo Gea's whole body was in terrible pain. He was thrown off the city during the explosion, his bones and tendons were broken due to the fall, and he was almost buried alive by the remaining soil and broken bricks.
His consciousness was gradually blurring, and he stared blankly at the sky still filled with smoke and dust. In his ears he could hear the roaring sound of muskets, and the closer and closer shouts of killing.
The blurry vision suddenly dimmed. It was a running figure. A big foot stepped hard on Luo Gea's face, accompanied by a passionate shout.