Wei Lianheng interjected: "Although I don't understand the so-called fortress, it is not necessary to build temporary fortifications with masonry, it can be made of earth, and it can be as high as two people, and it can defend against the enemy's impact." Pen @ fun @ pavilion wWw. ｂｉｑUｇE。 info Such an earthen fort can be built in a few days if there are enough people. ”

Xia Nan nodded: "This is a good way." ”

Lin Weiye said: "The fortifications that are two people high are almost the same as those built with earth. It can be considered that the top end is built with red bricks, and then poured with cement to facilitate the deployment of artillery. ”

"Well, this can be had. However, how do you get in and out of the mud fortress? You can't hang it with a rope, can you? Xia Nan asked.

Although Tan Er is a contractor who is a halfway monk, he has done a lot of infrastructure projects and has a lot of experience in civil engineering. He proposed: "A door could be opened, with a frame of masonry, poured with cement, and the top of it horizontally made of solid wood, so that the mud wall could also have a door for entry and exit." ”

Everyone praised this method as feasible. In this way, men and artillery could be transported into the fortress.

At the same time as the southern part of the summer was deploying countermeasures to meet the enemy, in Qiongshan County, Fucheng, He Rubin, the commander of the Guangdong sea-crossing army, was thinking about how to save the situation.

Attacked at sea, He Rubin fled from the battlefield in a humiliating way, saving his life and most of his troops. After arriving in Qiongshan, he thought of losing so many troops before the official start of the war, not only did he lose his trust in the people who controlled Taiwan, but his reputation and future might be ruined.

Left and right persuaded him: "Fortunately, most of the troops have been preserved, and the general does not have to be discouraged." The more the thieves relied on warships, the more it showed that their combat strength on land was limited, and with more than 10,000 elite soldiers attacking them by land, they would definitely be able to win the battle. ”

He Rubin felt reasonable, although the thief's ship cannon was extremely powerful, he couldn't move the ship to land. When it comes to land, the war still depends on who has more troops, although the remaining troops have not been counted for the time being, but there are at least 1,000 people, and then mobilize the local guard army and the township bravery, more than 10,000 people are still together.

Thinking of this, his mood improved slightly, and he said to his staff: "This official originally wanted to stay in Qiongshan for a few days, to boost the hearts of the local gentry and people, and to raise the prestige of our imperial court. However, the morale of the people who were struck by this disaster at sea was greatly reduced, and it was necessary to start the work immediately, lest the longer it dragged on, the more demoralization would be weakened. ”

The left and right have echoed, as the saying goes, the mourning soldiers will win, although the army has been frustrated, affecting morale, but the army will hate the thief to the bone, and the military heart can be used.

Under this guiding ideology, the army crossing the sea counted the ranks with a rare high efficiency of the Ming army, prepared all the grain and grass, and ordered the Qiongzhou government to gather more than 1,000 mixed troops of the Weisho army and the Xiangyong, and start the march three days later.

He Rubin led the army from Qiongshan and drove all the way forward along the post road. In the war, his attitude was still based on seriousness, so as soon as he left Qiongshan, he sent a large number of scouting horses and meticulous investigations.

Chaozhou General Tong Yizhen led more than a dozen partial generals, and more than 2,000 soldiers walked in front. At the front were three hundred cavalry led by his commander He Zhanran, ready to attack quickly once they encountered the enemy on the road, covering the infantry and firearms behind them.

Cavalry is a very useful type of troops, but there are not many cavalry available in Guangdong, so the whole army only brought 800 cavalry. He Rubin thought that the cavalry in Hainan was of little use, and most of the thieves this time were mainly besieged, and it was useless to bring more cavalry.

After the 2,000 soldiers led by the Huizhou staff general Yan Zunhe, they were the firearms battalion of the headquarters before them -- although the whereabouts of the firearms battalion commander Zuo Wuwei were unknown after the attack on the sea, most of the troops and heavy artillery of the firearms battalion were still there, and Li Modai, the commander of the battalion, was in charge -- most of the heavy artillery was drawn by oxen and there were many vehicles, so the marching speed was very slow, and he was in the penultimate position. Before the firearms battalion was the ladder battalion. This is a professional unit specially used to attack the city and capture the village, 600 ladder soldiers with dismantled ladders and many equipment, in case of direct attack of the village, by the ladder soldiers to serve as the assault forward.

The army in the Zhenbiao battalion garrisoned Sun Changzuo, and Ye Zhengfang led more than a dozen personal generals, 1,500 soldiers of the standard battalion and 500 He Rubin's family members to guard the old battalion. He Rubin walked in front of the old camp with his own soldiers and some of the main generals. People on the post road shouted and neighed, and smoke and dust billowed out.

Despite the rain in the past few days, the weather has been a little better these days, the sun is very hot, and the road is very dusty, and many soldiers have not walked much to drink the water in their crockpots and skins. Almost every time they came to a river with clear water, soldiers and horses would crowd to the river to drink, and people would crowd the horses and neigh, and there would be a mess.

"Tell the generals, men and horses go quickly", He Rubin urged his generals not to let the soldiers stay by the river for too long, so as not to disturb the march and be attacked by the enemy.

However, the enemy obviously had no intention of making a surprise attack, and in such a high-risk state as the whole army wading across the river, the Tanma did not find any trace of enemy activity in the near distance. The Tang Ma who was released kept sending back reports of safety on all sides, and He Rubin was a little relieved.

"Command all armies, no delay!" He commanded.

The normal mileage between Qiongshan and Lingao is only two days' journey, and if the officers and soldiers walk an average of twenty or thirty miles a day, this little road can be walked for four or five days.

However, Qiongzhou is different from other places, not to mention the sparsely populated prefectures and counties along the way, and the countryside is also very poor, unless there are prefectures and counties such as Qiongshan and Danzhou that have official warehouses with large reserves of grain, they are simply unable to supply a large army, and if they march slowly according to the old rules, they will run out of food carried by the army in advance. He Rubin instructed the generals to urge all departments to move forward as soon as possible.

The post road began to gradually turn inland from the seaside, and after walking for a long time, He Rubin saw that the sun had slanted westward, and it was estimated that it had reached the beginning of the Shen Dynasty. He looked around, and there were rolling hills and mountains near and far, and not far from the post road was a small hill with lush vegetation. As soon as he lifted the reins of his horse, he rode his horse to a small hillside beside the post road, and his own soldiers and generals hurried to follow.

He Rubin rode a Mongolian horse, very miraculous. The saddles, bridles, and stirrups were all made of brass, and the soldiers had polished them for him before they set out, and they were very dazzling in the sunlight. With the reins in his left hand and the whip in his right, he watched the steady stream of advancing men and banners around him, and the frustration brought by the fiasco at sea was greatly diluted, replaced by a sense of imperativeness.

"General Tang Shen ......," he called.

"Humble general." Qiongya General Tang Yunwen is also among the army this time, because he is a local military general in Qiongzhou, he is familiar with the terrain and customs of various places, although he is a general of the naval division, he is also accompanied by He Rubin, and he is always a counselor of the military aircraft. (To be continued.) )