Traveling through the Ming Dynasty, as soon as you open your eyes, you will die

Chapter 74 Digging trenches to block the attack
  Two years ago, Li Zicheng dug the Yellow River. After the water flooded Kaifeng, the Yellow River changed its course. Not far from Jinan Beiguan, there is a new Yellow River.

Nowadays, people are shouting at the Yellow River crossing. Liu Fangliang's main army was crossing the river. Hundreds of boats shuttled back and forth, with shirtless boatmen shouting slogans, transporting batches of people, horses, and supplies to the north bank of the Yellow River on the fast-flowing Yellow River.

Looking at this huge and magnificent scene, Liu Fangliang was full of confidence and told his brother Liu Hongliang for the last time.

"This time to rescue Binzhou, the battle may evolve into a decisive battle with the last remaining force of the Ming Dynasty in Shandong. Therefore, the city of Jinan is now almost undefended. Please temporarily stop pressing for funds and stabilize the people's morale and peace. Officials should not stir up chaos in the rear at this critical moment."

Liu Hongliang nodded: "Brother, I understand, feel free to go on the expedition."

This time, Liu Fangliang spent a lot of money and led his 50,000 elite army to the east, vowing to break the siege of Binzhou. But his first purpose was to annihilate Lu Mou's army along the way. Because he has the confidence and ability.

Liu Fangliang's army was different from Li Guo's.

Li Guo was the commander-in-chief Liu Zongmin, and he had a status dispute with him. Therefore, when the troops were dispatched, it was because there was no war in Henan, and they were only sent to monitor Li Yan and then threaten the south of Beijing. The purpose was to cooperate with the main force of the old battalion and contain the Ming army's reinforcements at Zijingguan, so that after King Chuang captured Zijingguan, he could march to the city walls and seize Beijing.

Therefore, although he was given 50,000 horses, the old camp accounted for the majority, with only 10,000 cavalry, and most of them were old and weak and unable to fight.

Liu Fangliang wanted to occupy a province and cut off the Ming Dynasty in Jiangnan from receiving support from Chongzhen in Beijing. The task was arduous. Therefore, they are the main force, and they are all true veterans of the Northwest.

For this reason, Liu Fangliang is confident to face and annihilate all enemies in front of him.

This time, the Yellow Belt Army, or Lu Mou, really had to face their opponents.

Starting from Jinan, there are only two ways to save Binzhou: one is to take a boat and go down the river to Lijin to land, which saves time and effort. Another option is to cross the river in advance and follow Liu Hongliang's old path along the north bank of the Yellow River. Of course, you will encounter Lu Mou's blocking army again.

It is now the summer flood season. The Yellow River is roaring and churning. The bandits are all northern landlubbers and are seasick.

Besides, the purpose of this time is to eliminate Lu Mou. He really wants to go all the way south and leave Lu Mou behind. Now that the army of 100,000 has been distributed all over the country, if he brings out another 50,000, Jinan will be an empty city.

It would be a bad thing if the Ming army took advantage of the emptiness in Jinan and raided their home base.

Annihilating Lu Mou and eliminating hidden dangers are the top priority.

Liu Fangliang led an army of 50,000 people across the Yellow River and headed east along the Yellow River.

This time, he did not rely on others like his younger brother. Instead, he sent out mobile sentries at all times to look for Lu Mou's team. He could no longer rush into Lu Mou like last time and was caught off guard by him who was well prepared.

He has a profound summary of his brother's failure.

The summary result is that it is not that the Ming army is strong, but that the younger brother is too entrusted.

Confucius said, don't scare a cat to death just because of a cucumber.

Mencius said: "Yes."

With this mentality, Liu Fangliang led an army of 50,000 people to advance cautiously and walked towards the battlefield step by step.

Facing Liu Fangliang's main force, Lu Mou was still very calm: "Fifty thousand? It's just an old and weak camp. Those who can truly fight against the young and strong will not exceed ten or twenty thousand. I think back then, when I faced Li Guo——"

The investigating Jin Yiwei carefully reminded: "Your Majesty, it's not like that. Li Guo is Li Chuang's partial army, and Liu Fangliang is the main force occupying a province to isolate the north from the south, so, that, that."

"so what?"

"Liu Fangliang's main force is composed of real elite bandits, the real main force. So, the one rushing towards us now is——"

Before Jin Yiwei finished his report, Lu Mou jumped up as if he saw a cat with cucumber behind his butt.

"What? Liu Fangliang really brought fifty thousand elites?"

Zhu Changxun nodded: "That's true. We need to deal with it carefully."

That's right, 30,000 new recruits who have only fought one battle need to be cautious when facing 50,000 soldiers who have fought hundreds of battles.

"Go and ask Li Yan if Binzhou has been captured." Once Binzhou is captured, you can retreat and join Li Yan. In Lu Mou's heart, relying on Li Yan's old military affairs, he was still safe.

As a result, the carrier pigeon flew back after a while, and the message was: "Binzhou has not been captured, and the minister is slowly trying to capture it."

Unexpectedly, Li Yan turned out to be a chronic person.

"Slowly, slowly, that means I have to block Liu Fangliang's main force."

Zhu Changxun asked, "Your Majesty, how can we stop him?"

The Great Plains is flat, how can we stop it?
  After looking at the map, I saw that the distance from the Yellow River to the big river above was hundreds of miles. It was no longer possible to deal with Li Guo. What's more, now that Shandong has been plundered twice by the Manchu and Qing Dynasties, and the rogue bandits and the Ming Dynasty have been fighting several times, the population has long been thin. You can't hire people to dig a canal, don't even think about it.

"Dig a circular fortification, mainly with our firearms. Let's defend it tightly to prevent Liu Fangliang from passing by."

In this way, trench warfare, which only appeared in World War I, appeared more than 300 years earlier in the Shandong section of the North China Plain.

Looking at the dusty scene of digging trenches with his butt stuck out, Lu Mou actually felt a sense of pride: "I am three hundred years ahead of the world again. I am proud of myself."

"Report, Your Majesty, the main force of the rogue bandits is still a hundred miles away."

"Hurry and dig."

"Report, the main force of the rogue bandits is still fifty miles away."

"Order the civilians to retreat immediately, pay their wages, go home on their own, and work hard on farming and production. The entire army will speed up the construction of fortifications on their own."

The five thousand people really didn't expect that the prince really followed his promise and didn't make people like himself as free people like before. He really took care of food and housing, and paid each person a salary of fifty cents per day.

Although fifty words is not much, it is already an interesting attitude. The money I will pay for service in the future is not unjust.

I really didn't expect that when the war broke out, the prince would not use civilians like him as cannon fodder like before. Next time, if there is another recruitment of civilian husbands, we will come again.

The civilians retreated, and the soldiers dug trenches more diligently.

The trenches are divided into five layers, forming a ring shape, tightly wrapping the material reserves in the innermost layer. There are vertical and horizontal communication trenches connecting the trenches on each layer, which can be said to extend in all directions.

The trenches match current Ming Army firearms.

Soldiers standing in the trenches can easily load ammunition, and then rely on the trenches to shoot at the enemy, which is more stable and accurate. higher efficiency.

When the bandits only had cold weapons but no hot weapons, they had no choice but to be beaten.

"The rogues are still thirty miles away."

The trench is basically formed.

"Twenty miles left."

There is no need to report anymore, the dust in the distance is already overwhelming.

Now, it all depends on whether my ten days of food and grass reserves can be used to fight a war of attrition against the bandits who may be surrounding me but not fight them.

"Ten miles."

"Everyone stops digging trenches and prepares to fight."

The soldiers immediately huddled in the trenches, set up the five-eye machine on the trenches, and stood ready.

(End of this chapter)