Chapter 3132 Building a Fortress
After an on-site inspection, Fang Jun and others returned to the mountain pass and discussed how to build defense facilities on the spot.
Pei Xingjian suggested first: "There are many steep cliffs and narrow terrain in Dadouba Valley. If we can bury gunpowder on the hillside there and leave the soldiers to hide and guard, then when the enemy troops pass by, we can ignite the gunpowder and cause the mountain to collapse." , can destroy enemy troops on a large scale and severely damage their morale. ”
When a large army passes, there must be scouts who have gone out dozens of miles to detect the enemy. However, the Tang army could dig holes in the ground in advance so that the soldiers can hide in them to avoid the exploration of the enemy scouts, and then detonate the gunpowder at the critical moment.
Cheng Wuting frowned and said: "If the scale of the mountain collapse is too large, making the valley road blocked and impassable, wouldn't the Tuyuhun people have to give up halfway and have to return the same way? In this case, they would have to give up the big fight to pull out the valley and turn to Looking for other mountain passes, or even breaking them into pieces and crossing the Qilian Mountains through some small mountain passes, wouldn't it be useless for us to build a fortress here? "
Pei Xingjian was stunned for a moment and felt that it made sense, but he had taken it for granted.
However, he thought quickly and said immediately: "Then we can increase the amount of gunpowder buried to keep the soldiers in ambush. When all the enemy troops have passed, we can blow up the mountains on both sides in one fell swoop, causing the gravel to completely block the valley road, allowing the enemy to There is no way to retreat, we can only keep moving forward and attack our fortress.”
This method is feasible, but the question is still the same - can the Youtun Guards block the desperate charge of the Tuyuhun cavalry?
However, everyone now has full confidence in the combat effectiveness of Youtunwei and believes that this is not a problem.
Even if Tuyuhun cannot be completely blocked, some fish that slip through the net will not be able to do anything. The defenders of the Hexi counties are not in vain.
Fang Jun nodded and said: "Just follow this plan. Move quickly and hide well. You cannot be discovered by the enemy hiding your soldiers, otherwise it will be useless."
"Here!"
Cheng Wuting accepted the order and left immediately, summoning several captains to discuss how to bury explosives and how to set up hiding places for soldiers.
Fang Jun put his hands behind his hands and looked at the majestic mountain pass in front of him, and asked: "Where are the baggage troops?"
Pei Xingjian said: "Calculating the distance, we should have passed Pipa Mountain. We will arrive in Liangzhou tomorrow at the latest, and we can arrive here in two days."
When the army left Hexi, the baggage troops transported a batch of cement, which was originally intended to strengthen the city defenses of the counties in Hexi. After all, the counties had been established for many years and fell into disrepair, and various defense facilities and city walls were inevitably damaged. However, the strategy has changed now, and this batch of cement can be used to build fortresses.
The cement will arrive two days later. It is cheaper to quarry the stone on site, and the fortress does not need to be too strong. After all, it is mainly used to block enemy cavalry. In addition, it will take at least half a month for the cement to dry and solidify.
Fang Jun ordered: "Intensify contact with the secret agents buried in Tuyuhun. We must find out the time when Nuohebo will send troops and send the news back in advance. Then we will send scouts to Dadou Bagou and various mountain passes in the Qilian Mountains to listen to the news around the clock. We must not let the enemy suddenly appear at the mouth of the valley and we will not know it! ”
The cavalry is highly mobile. Although it is inconvenient to travel in the valley, its marching speed is not comparable to that on foot. A slight negligence can lead to missing the enemy's situation, causing the enemy to suddenly appear without knowing it.
Soldiers are a major event for the country, a place of life and death, and they cannot be careless at all. They must be prepared for the worst at all times and try their best.
In a war, the factors that determine the outcome are often just some inconspicuous details...
Pei Xingjian solemnly accepted the order: "Promise!"
He is also a man who knows how to fight, not to mention the principle that "an arrogant soldier will be defeated". Now that the enemy is strong and we are weak, where does the arrogance come from? We must do our best in every detail and use every bit of combat power of the Youtun Guards as much as possible. Only then can we defeat the strong with the weak and the enemy with the few.
……
On that day, the entire Youtun Guard became busy.
Although the baggage troops had not yet arrived, Pei Xingjian first collected a batch of farm tools from various counties, and distributed them to the army, such as heads, shovels, pickaxes, etc. The soldiers, shirtless, dug out foundations in the gravel land at the mouth of Dadou Valley.
The other unit, led by Cheng Wuting, chose a steep cliff deep in the valley entrance, buried gunpowder and fuses, and dug caves for soldiers to hide, so that they could ambush the soldiers and wait until the Tuyuhun army passed by to detonate the gunpowder and cut off the retreat. .
All the scouts in the army were sent out, and sentries were set up inch by inch within a radius of a hundred miles to search for possible Tuyuhun scouts.
Two days later, the baggage troops arrived and brought cement.
The fortress at the mountain pass was very simple. The Tuyuhun cavalry might have attacked before it was completed, so they only built a platform less than one foot high so that the enemy horses could not rush up to it. Then they built a low barrier directly opposite the mountain pass. There are arrow stacks on the wall.
A horse trap was dug in front of the low wall and spikes were buried in it to ease the intensity of the enemy's charge.
The low walls extend directly to the valley mouths on both sides. However, due to the weak water on the left and the turbulent flow of the river, the river bank is full of soft sand, making it impossible to build a wall, which may allow the Tuyuhun cavalry to break through. However, it was only a gap less than ten feet wide. Even if the Tuyuhun cavalry charged with all their strength, under the blockade of the Tang army's firearms and crossbows, they could only pass a few people, and it would have little impact on the overall situation.
The entire fortification tightly blocked the mountain pass. When the Tuyuhun cavalry attacked, they would face such a copper wall and iron wall.
In the age of cold weapons, such seemingly simple fortifications could completely offset the impact of the cavalry. Once the impact power was lost, the Tuyuhun cavalry had to dismount and fight on foot before they could possibly charge into the fortress.
But why did the dismounted Tuyuhun army confront the Tang army, which was "the best in infantry warfare in the world"?
They are just a bunch of lambs waiting to be slaughtered.
The entire Dadou Bago Mountain Pass has turned into a busy and noisy large construction site. Thousands of shirtless soldiers, waving their heads, pushing carts, mixing cement, transporting stones, a fortress quickly rose from the ground, blocking the mountain pass tightly. .
Whether it is the soldiers of Youtun Guard or the farmers recruited from nearby, they are not tired at this moment and full of energy.
Throughout the ages, farming peoples have often suffered losses when fighting against grassland barbarians. Only by being in a city can they have a sufficient sense of security.
The harsh living environment of the prairie barbarians has honed their fierce and savage character and strong physique. They grew up on horseback and are proficient in bows and horses, and are brave and good at fighting. However, the farming people relied on their inherent talent for construction to build cities one after another to resist the invasion and killings of the prairie barbarians.
In the field battle, the prairie barbarians were rampant.
But as long as there are cities, the farming people are invincible.
*****
Western Region, Jiaohe City.
Li Xiaogong was dressed in regular clothes and was sitting in the duty room of the government office handling official duties.
It was midsummer, and the heat in the Western Region was unbearable. Through the open window, one could see the green grape vines in the yard, with bunches of unripe grapes hanging on the vines. The air seemed to be stagnant without any movement. The hot sun in the sky was baking the earth, seeming to evaporate all the water.
It was even more unbearably hot in the duty room, and within a short time, Li Xiaogong's fat face was covered with sweat. The intense heat made him feel irritable. He dropped the brush, stood up, picked up a handkerchief from a nearby shelf, dipped it in the basin, and wiped his face and neck vigorously.
Then he stood up and opened the copper cabinet on the side, took out a small silver wine jug from a pile of ice cubes, raised his head and poured the cold grape wine in the wine jug into his mouth.
The sweet and sour grape wine flowed down his throat and into his stomach. Li Xiaogong exhaled a long breath, finally feeling more comfortable and the heat disappeared.
Apart from other things, Fang Er is really talented at this kind of strange skill. If he hadn't invented the method of making ice with saltpeter, God knows how he could have survived the horrible weather in the Western Region.
Officials from the Anxi Protectorate Prefecture had told me two days ago that they were measuring the climate this summer. Compared with the average temperature in the past twenty years, the average temperature was much higher, the rainfall was reduced, and the water volume of many rivers dropped sharply. , and it is likely to get hotter and hotter in the future.
Will this damn Western Region become a big furnace in the future...
Feeling a little cooler, he returned to the desk, picked up the brush, and frowned as he pondered the official document in front of him.
There was a sound of footsteps outside the door, and the clerk walked in softly and said respectfully: "I would like to inform you, the Protector, Sima Xue Rengui to see you."
"Huh?"
Li Xiaogong was stunned. He counted the time, wasn't Xue Rengui supposed to be patrolling Suiye Town, why did he come back at this time?
"Let him in."
"Here."(End of this chapter)