Jianlu still followed the traditional model of dispatching troops and generals, gathering and mobilizing; the concentration and transportation of grain and supplies were also traceable and could be estimated.
Regarding the population and land of Jianlu, there are also calculations and analyzes by the Ministry of Military Intelligence, which can determine the approximate amount of consumption and inventory.
Obviously, these are helpful in predicting Jianlu's strength and possible movements. But on the other hand, Jianlu is in the dark about the situation in Dongjiang Town and cannot see clearly.
Only by knowing yourself and the enemy can you win every battle. The asymmetry in intelligence between the two sides also determines Jianlu's passivity.
"The miscellaneous family has already reported to the court, please don't worry, Your Majesty." Fang Zhenghua threw a branch into the fire, and the sparks that flew up lit up his beardless face, "When the victory is great, Long Live Long Yan will be happy."
Guo Dajing smiled and nodded, and said: "It's all thanks to Eunuch Fang to go up to heaven and explain it to Dongjiang Town, so as to eliminate the worries of Long Live."
Three years have passed since the beginning of the Liao Dynasty, and now the first month has not even passed, so he is becoming suspicious. Guo Dajing is no longer able to complain about this Emperor Chongzhen.
Fang Zhenghua laughed, stood up and said, "It's getting late, so the Za family will go to rest first."
"Mr. Fang, please excuse me." Guo Dajing cupped his hands and watched Fang Zheng go away.
He Kegang looked away from Fang Zhenghua's back and said to Guo Dajing: "This father-in-law overseeing the army is quite peaceful and reasonable."
Guo Dajing smiled and nodded, and said: "Long live in Jiuzhong, and I rely on these eyes and ears to understand the situation in the border town. If it is false, it will definitely affect the court's decision-making. Fang Eunuch is relatively upright, which is also the luck of Dongjiang Town."
He Kegang smiled and said: "It is also my great fortune for Eunuch Fang to supervise the army in Dongjiang Town. When I return to the court, I will definitely have the evaluation of a knowledgeable soldier."
"The imperial court's standards for its ministers are naturally not high. You know how to serve as a soldier, so you really deserve it." Guo Dajing pursed his lips slightly, seeming to be sarcastic.
Not only for eunuchs, but also for civil servants, the standard of knowing soldiers is very low. If you read two military books and speak two big words, you can claim to be "knowing soldiers".
For example, Governor Yuan studied under a veteran, but he rose from the county magistrate to a feudal official, but in the end he harmed the country and the people.
Strictly speaking, Sun Chengzong is also an example. It can even be said that as the initiator and founder of the Guanningjin Defense Line, he also had a great contribution to the demise of the Ming Dynasty.
It's just that the ancients used the coffin to be sealed and the emperor's name was the standard. Sun Chengzong died heroically and was a model of loyal ministers. No one will delve into the mistakes he made during his lifetime.
He Kegang noticed Guo Dajing's disdain, but ignored it.
For generals like them who have experienced hundreds of battles, there is really not much difference between eunuchs who know how to fight and ordinary soldiers.
At this time, another messenger sent an urgent report, which was about the situation in North Korea. Liu Xingzhi reported to Guo Dajing together.
After Guo Dajing read it, he handed it to He Kegang, stared at the fire, and did not reply immediately.
"General Liu wants to launch an encirclement and annihilation campaign?!" He Kegang was a little surprised and looked up at Guo Dajing, "There are only more than 6,000 troops, and there are not many Korean soldiers. Is the force insufficient?"
Guo Dajing naturally knew Liu Xingzhi's mentality, and Zuo Xie was brought up by him personally, and his combat power was trustworthy.
If you want to encircle and annihilate the enemy, it is common sense to have more troops than the opponent, but this is not a necessary condition. The tactic of blocking in the front and blocking in the back proposed by Liu Xingzhi is also a means of giving full play to the advantage of firepower and severely damaging the enemy.
Guo Dajing raised his head and said slowly: "This is not an encirclement and annihilation. It is similar to our current tactics, which is to cut off the enemy's retreat. Liu Xingzhi is rich in experience. I believe that he will not act recklessly and will act within his capabilities."
He Kegang stopped saying anything. After all, he was now an intern and didn't know much about the Dongjiang Army. He also needed to know what to do.
Guo Dajing had made up his mind and wrote a reply to Liu Xingzhi. He only said a short sentence: "Don't be greedy for merit, do what you can."
In the absence of instant communication via telegraph and telephone, remote control command is prone to errors, or missed opportunities are inevitable.
But Guo Dajing was gradually releasing his command authority. For example, he left room in the battle plan for the generals to use flexibly.
Fortunately, the tactics of the Dongjiang Army are basically fixed, and the equipment of all firearms also enables each unit to focus on exerting its firepower advantage in combat.
At the same time, the Dongjiang Army was the most rigorous in its defense deployment, leaving no opportunities for the Jianlu to take advantage of. This also made the battle simpler and did not require Guo Dajing to personally do it.
No matter what your strategy or strategy is, if you remain as firm as a mountain and have sharp firepower, even if Zhuge is reborn, he will still be able to do nothing!
"Our army has an obvious advantage in firepower. If we have simple fortifications to rely on, we can stop at least two or three times the number of enemies."
Guo Dajing had the letter sent away and explained to He Kegang: "If you choose a suitable location and position to make it difficult for the enemy to deploy their troops, the number that can be resisted will be greater."
"It's not easy to dig in winter, but you can water it to solidify ice. If you pile up branches, wood and rocks on a narrow road, and then add ice and snow, it will soon become an insurmountable obstacle."
"Even when he piled up snow to block the road and used artillery and guns to fight the enemy, our army did not fall behind. Liu Xingzhi has some ideas, but they are not arrogant. He may be greedy for merit, but I believe he will not act recklessly."
He Kegang nodded repeatedly, not expecting that Guo Dajing would explain it to him in detail. This in itself was a sign of trust and respect, not treating him as an outsider.
"Go to rest early!" Guo Dajing stood up and said with a smile: "There should be no more urgent reports. You can have a good sleep."
He Kegang stood up with a smile, cupped his hands, and followed Guo Dajing to the resting tent.
………………
The wind picked up the snow dust, scattered it in the air, and fell one after another. The city covered with frost coldly welcomed the Jianlu who had traveled a long distance.
Amin, Dudu and Jilhalang were riding on their horses, looking up, without speaking, and fell into a brief silence.
They arrived at their first destination two days later than expected, and after suffering more than 2,000 casualties.
Although it was only a small setback, the gloomy mood could not be relieved quickly. Because the enemies who blocked them had already fled into the mountains and forests, and they didn't know when they would come out again.
This is a hidden danger after all. It is very likely that when they retreat, they will be suddenly attacked again, or even blocked face to face.
Flags were fluttering at the top of the city. Although there were not many, the bright red color still stung Amin's eyes.
"Order Mandu'er to prepare to attack the city." Amin gave the order in a deep voice without consulting Dudu and Jilhalang.
Dudu and Jilhalang didn't even turn their heads, and they didn't have any other suggestions at all. They just expressed their agreement with silence.
Siege is necessary, even if it is only a tentative one, it will help them judge the strength and approximate number of the enemies defending the city.
If there are not many defenders, then attack by force, and Jianlu will have a strong fortress. Only a small number of troops are left behind, and a large force can attack North Korea with all its strength.
If the defense is tight and there are many defenders, according to the principles determined before launching the attack, troops should be left to monitor, while the remaining troops will bypass the castle and continue the operation.
It's very difficult to keep how many troops to keep under surveillance. If you leave too few, you have to be wary of counterattacks by enemies inside the city. There may be enemies lurking outside the city, waiting for the opportunity to attack from a flank.
Obviously, the former is much better than the latter, and it is also the result with the least worries.
Amidst the sound of sobbing horns, Manduer organized two thousand Han troops and two thousand Mongolian soldiers, pushed the carts slowly forward, and launched the first attack in the south of the city.
Although it is tentative, the intensity should not be too small. Otherwise, the true situation of the defenders will not be revealed.
On the top of the city, Wang Zhan held up a telescope, observed the enemy's actions, and kept issuing orders. The artillery officers were even more nervously busy, adjusting the firing angles of various artillery pieces.
There are also complete plans on how to defend, as well as preparations for different situations.
The blocking trench outside the city is about a hundred meters away from the city wall, and is within the range of heavy musketry. Any further distance is within the range of artillery. With the advantage of being at a commanding height, it can hit as far as three and a half miles.
In other words, if the firepower is fully activated, it can cover a range of three and a half miles from the bottom of the city wall.
If the Jianlu invaders adopt a dense formation and attack the city on a large scale, what awaits them will be artillery shells and bullets with nowhere to hide.
"Immediately transfer the mortars from the east and west cities, enter the position, and prepare for firing."
"The enemy number is about 4,000. We order the artillery and the Hongyi artillery to hold off firing for the time being so that the enemy will not lose cover and retreat as soon as possible."
Wang Zhan put down his telescope and calmly gave orders.
Try to kill and injure the enemy as much as possible, weaken its effectiveness, and reduce its traveling speed due to the drag of the wounded.
At this distance, the only long-range attack method for enemies crowded in front of the trench is bows and arrows. But under the cover of the city walls and shields, the musketeers on the city have reliable protection.
In the exchange of muskets and bows and arrows, first use mortars to bombard the enemy, and finally use the Hongyi cannon to destroy the carts and kill the enemy.
Wang Zhan knew that the enemy relied on the carriage, so he simply kept it for them, thinking that he would be protected, so he stood up to be shot at first.
Wang Zhan had absolute confidence in city defense. With a solid prismatic fortress and numerous muskets and artillery, even if the enemy was four or five times larger, he would still leave the enemy corpses everywhere.
"Aim right, hit me hard." Jin Zhongguo roared loudly along the city wall, inspiring the Korean volunteers defending the city.
"Your Majesty, with your clever calculations, won the defense of Nancheng." A North Korean junior officer smiled and complimented: "It's our turn to show off and not let the friendly forces look down upon us."
Jin Zhongguo grinned widely and laughed, feeling very proud in his heart.
As expected, the enemy did not dare to besiege on all sides, and this tentative attack was probably just like this. The North Korean volunteers were organized to fight, and this was a rare opportunity to show their faces.
Not only the musketeers on the city were Korean volunteers, but also the artillerymen were trained in the Dongjiang Army. They were nervously loading and aiming, preparing to bombard the enemy fiercely.
There was no gunfire or cannon fire in the city. Manduer was on horseback, supervising the men and horses advancing in the rear group, but an indescribable sense of ominousness arose in his heart.
With only the crunch of wheels crushing the snow and the clang of armor in his ears, Manduer looked at the city in the distance. Figures could be seen flashing on the city wall and flags were swaying. He couldn't help but squint his eyes.
He had participated in the Battle of Ningyuan. At this distance, the artillery should have roared and fired, but the strange and strange silence made him uneasy.
There were more than two hundred carriages, divided into several rows, pushed by the Han army and carrying ladders; the Mongolian soldiers were armed with bows and arrows, ready to provide fire cover if the arrows missed.
According to Jianlu's battle plan, they brought a total of more than 300 carts this time. They could transport grain and grass when traveling, and they were also used as equipment when attacking. The number was actually not that many, after all, their main purpose was not to attack the city.
Jianlu planned to use part of the carts to fill the trench outside Zhenjiang Fort. This would be faster. As long as a passage was filled, the infantry could rush over and attack the city.
But Jianlu obviously didn't understand the power of the prismatic fortress. Even if he rushed through the ditch and got close to the city wall, the blows he received would not be weakened. Although at that time, the artillery would be useless.
Those who attacked the city were divided into two echelons, the first group was 2,000 people, and the second group was 2,000 people, which was equivalent to the role of vanguard and main force.
The two groups of siege troops opened a distance of nearly two miles, but the vanguard stretched out, with a width of a hundred meters and a thickness of nearly two miles.
Jianlu was advancing steadily, and the city was preparing intensively. One hundred and fifty mortars quickly concentrated on the Nancheng position. Under the instructions of the artillery officer, they loaded and adjusted the angle.
When they were still twenty or thirty meters away from the trench, following the officer's order, the Han soldiers in front of the cart shouted, quickened their pace, and pushed the cart quickly toward the trench.
The catapult cart fell in, but it was not enough to fill the gap. There was no catapult cart even visible on the ground. Without the catapult cart, the Han army lost cover and ran back.
Under the command of the officer, dozens more trucks were pushed up, concentrating on several areas more than ten meters wide, trying to quickly fill in the passage.
Boom, boom, boom... A low muffled sound resounded in the city, and the black cannonballs passed over the not-so-high city wall, blocking the winter sunshine, and densely smashed into the enemy's attacking team.
This was a covering and fierce strike, covering areas ranging from four to five hundred meters to more than two miles, all within the bombing range of the artillery shells.
A moment later, among the chaotic enemies, explosions occurred one after another. Balls of fireworks exploded, shrapnel shot, flames splashed, and black smoke rose, mixed with screams, wails, and exclamations.
Some enemies were covered in blood, their eyes were broken, and they were screaming and stumbling; some enemies had their legs and feet injured and fell to the ground screaming in pain; some enemies were running and jumping around with flames on their bodies, and some enemies...
The dump trucks continued to fill in the trenches, and soon several passages about ten meters wide were formed. Another row of dump trucks approached and stretched across the ditch, forming a barrier.
The archers rushed forward amidst the sound of trumpets, bent their bows and arrows behind the carts, and fired arrows towards the city.
Under the howling command of the officers, the Han soldiers and the Mongolian soldiers carried the ladders over the carriages, stepped onto the uneven path that had just been paved, and climbed over the ditch.
Densely packed artillery shells flew through the air again, smashing into the enemy group one after another, and continued to shoot out smoke and fire, blooming in a moment of splendor.