After listening to Li Desun's embellished narrative, Fang Guozhen placed a wine bowl on the table, her face so gloomy that it seemed like water was dripping from her face.
"Chen Jizhen said that?"
Li Desun said bitterly: "That's what that guy said! Damn it, this time we have a hot face on a cold butt!"
A pirate general beat his chest angrily and yelled: "Brother, give the order, we can't defeat Jiangdu's army, people will laugh at us!"
Fang Guozhen touched his mustache and said coldly: "How many times have I told you that the reason why we can develop and grow is because of the rebel army to contain the imperial court. If the rebel army is destroyed, it will be our turn next."<
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A general shouted: "Can't we just let it go? Chen Jina, that old boy, is pointing his finger at you and scolding you!"
Fang Guozhen glanced at him sideways and said, "What do you know? Do you think Chen Jizhen scolded me because of his personal happiness and anger?"
The general asked: "Why is that?"
Fang Guozhen said: "He is afraid that Jiang Dujun will have a relationship with me and lose the hearts of the world's scholars."
Li Desun showed disdain and said: "These rebels all have the same character. They like to pretend to be sanctimonious and win people's hearts! It was the same with Xu Shouhui back then!"
Fang Guozhen snorted and said: "They all want to seize the world. For the sake of good reputation, they are timid and dare not do anything! Huh, my Fang Guozhen is not that ambitious. I don't want to be bound by etiquette and law. I just want to be free and easy. They don't want to be with me.
Let’s go back and forth and let everyone live their own lives!”
The generals had been at sea for a long time, and their thoughts were similar to his. They felt sympathy and shouted in unison: "Let's drink from big bowls, eat meat with big mouthfuls, and chop people with big knives. Damn etiquette!"
Li Desun asked: "Where should I buy coal?"
Fang Guozhen laughed and said: "You haven't been in the village these days, so you don't know anything. The imperial court will send high-ranking officials here soon. Let's serve them well, and we will naturally have coal!"
Li Desun didn't believe it: "He will really give us coal?"
Fang Guozhen said: "Not just coal, he will give us whatever we want as long as it's not too much!"
Li Desun was even more doubtful: "Is there such a good thing?"
Fang Guozhen said with a smile: "Thanks to Zhang Yangquan and Zhang Shicheng. They cut off the court's water transportation, so the court could only rely on sea transportation. In the past, the sea transportation was escorted by the Changshu Navy. Now that the scale of shipping has expanded, they have to ask us to help protect the sea transportation.
Boat!"
Li Desun slapped his thigh and said: "Haha, those bastard rebels are indeed useful! Brother, in addition to coal mines, let's order more food. With food, we can raise more people and horses!"
A general said: "It's better to have gold. If you have money, are you afraid that you won't be able to buy food?"
Another person said: "You can also take the opportunity to get a batch of iron ore!"
Fang Guozhen laughed: "You guys have no future, just give up on them all! Why don't you be polite to them?"
All the pirates laughed together.
A few days later, officials from the Yuan Dynasty arrived, and Fang Guozhen opened his mouth. He first asked for an official position to participate in provincial politics, and then asked for various resources such as coal mines, weapons, gold and silver, and food.
The Yuan Dynasty official did not agree immediately, but made a request for Fang Guozhen to send troops to attack Tongzhou.
The generals thought that Fang Guozhen would definitely refuse, but they didn't expect that he agreed immediately and took the opportunity to ask for a few more blunderbuss and several thousand kilograms of gunpowder.
All the generals were puzzled. Li Desun asked: "Brother, didn't you say you can't fight the rebels? Why did you turn around and agree to the court's request?"
Fang Guozhen said: "I only agreed to fight, but I didn't agree to fight down! Anyway, the food and grass are provided by them. Let's go over and go through the motions. Why not?"
Only then did the generals clear up their doubts.
Fang Guozhen's navy totaled more than 40,000 people. He ordered 20,000 men and horses to form a large fleet and sailed north along the southeast coast. A few days later, they arrived in Changshu.
When he sent people to sneak attack Yangzhou Road, his generals captured Tongzhou in one day. Now the number of troops and horses was several times that of the original, and he was personally leading the attack. It seemed natural to outsiders that he was powerful, and no one would have imagined that he was here to fish. There was a political officer from Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces in Changshu City. Seeing how hard he worked, the political officer personally brought 500 pigs over to comfort Fang Guozhen's army.
The army had a good meal and headed towards Tongzhou early the next morning.
Shanzhu has a secret operation in Changshu. He has already detected Fang Guozhen's movements and immediately sent someone to pass the news to the general manager's office.
Zhang Yangquan had already been mentally prepared and immediately made arrangements, asking Wang Da to lead 5,000 men to reinforce Tongzhou. At the same time, he transferred a hundred-man team from the Shenji Camp and brought six artillery pieces with him.
Before the news about the wild boar came, Xu Baisheng also sent news that soldiers, horses, food and grass were also mobilized in Jiqing, and they might cross the river to invade.
So Zhang Yangquan asked Li Er to lead 5,000 people and station them in Taixing to provide support.
If the situation in Tongzhou is critical, these 5,000 people can reinforce Tongzhou. If Jiangdu is attacked, these 5,000 people can return to help Jiangdu.
As the saying goes, one move affects the whole body. Fang Guozhen's massive attack seemed to trigger a comprehensive attack by the Yuan army against Jiangdu army.
Three days later, in the early morning, the sky was blue and cloudless.
The waves are calm and soothing, and seabirds cut through the blue sky, sometimes swooping down and causing waves on the sea surface.
A light morning mist filled the sea, and through the mist, one could faintly see Tongzhou City on the coast.
Fang Guozhen has lived on the sea for a long time, and his eyes are as sharp as an eagle. He can tell something is wrong at a glance. The walls of Tongzhou City are high and thick, and they seem to be different from what his subordinates described.
So he called his subordinates to inquire.
The subordinate said anxiously: "Captain, when I attacked last time, the city wall was really short. Brothers can easily jump over the wall by climbing up the mast!"
Li Desun said: "They must have guessed that we were coming to attack, so they stepped up their efforts to strengthen the city wall during these days!"
Fang Guozhen frowned and said: "It only took more than a month to build the city wall so high?"
A staff member said: "You can't use ordinary mortar. You must use glutinous rice mortar or Sanhe soil!"
Doctor Zhang Benren said: "No, it will take several months for a city wall built with Sanhe soil to become strong. As for glutinous rice mortar, it is expensive and difficult to obtain. It will never be used on a small Tongzhou city wall." p>
Li Desun sneered and said: "That's because you have never been to Jiangdu, so you don't know how rich they are! The streets of Jiangdu City are full of merchants and horse teams, and there are many shops. What can't you buy?"
Fang Guozhen's eyes shone brightly and he said with a smile: "Then just call them a couple. If Jiangdu's army is vulnerable, let's seize Jiangdu and take advantage of him!"
Li Desun said in astonishment: "Brother, didn't you say we were just having a formality? Do we really want to attack Tongzhou?"
Fang Guozhen glared and said, "How come you don't know how to adapt at all? If we just meet each other and leave, can we explain it to the court?"
He narrowed his eyes and said: "We still have to fight. If Jiangdu's army collapses at the first touch, they will be defeated by the imperial court sooner or later. Let's occupy it first and strengthen our own strength, so that we can advance and retreat freely!"
The generals cheered thunderously: "Capture Jiangdu, capture Jiangdu!"
Fang Guozhen shouted: "Get ready to attack!"
The southernmost city wall of Tongzhou City faces the river, only about 80 feet away from the river bank. A water gate was opened on the city wall, and an artificial canal was dug to directly connect to the river.
Although the water gate was closed, Fang Guozhen only had to sail the boat into the canal to get close to the city wall.
Today, the city wall of Tongzhou City has been strengthened by about two feet, and the mast is about one foot away from the city wall. You can climb up with a wooden plank, and you will not suffer too much if you shoot at each other.
In other words, no matter how solidly Tongzhou City is built, the side facing the river is always its weakness!
After the fleet arrived, Fang Guozhen observed carefully and saw that the city wall was blue-gray in color. Reflected by the sunlight, it gave people a feeling of being as heavy as a rock. It was indeed extremely strong.
Not only was he not worried, he was overjoyed.
The other party built this city so strongly just to make it a wedding dress for him. If Tongzhou City can be easily captured then, it will be much easier to defend when Jiangdu's army attacks.
After all, he had been a pirate for a long time. After seeing the other party using glutinous rice mortar to expand the Tongzhou city wall, he really wanted to capture Jiangdu.
Of course, the prerequisite depends on the strength of Jiangdu's army.