In mid-to-late May, the scattered light cavalry brought back news of the attack of the quasi-enemy.

Wu Fangrui looked at the city that already had a rudimentary form of defense, and asked the light cavalry who brought back the news, and when he learned that the other party might only have five or six thousand people, he didn't know how to fight.

Troops of five or six thousand people, there is no heavy artillery, there are not enough muskets, many are still using bows and arrows...... Want to take the city?

Are the Dzungars crazy?

Someone was quickly sent to bring the news back to the rear camp, and the alarm bell sounded in the city.

Horses, camels, and sheep, which were grazing outside for military quarters, were quickly driven back to the city.

The cavalry entered the city, and the infantry was immediately deployed in all directions according to the established plan. Some of the cannons brought by the military government to defend the city were also waiting on the city walls.

The simple bastion structure also has an external protective slope, and the nearby shooting range is completely cleaned.

According to Wu Fangrui's calculations, such a city, if the other party does not have enough artillery, there is no way but to besiege it.

Dig a pit like Lord Liu did in the north? Wu Fangrui thought to himself, will these Dzungars calculate how to dig trenches?

Standing on the high ground of the city, looking at the camp tent of the quasi-department, and looking at the cavalry galloping back and forth, Wu Fangrui threw the telescope to the adjutant in a very boring way.

He had a regiment of Qingzhou Army infantry, most of the engineers, more than 300 cavalry, and auxiliaries to build the city.

There are also quite a few cannons.

Even if the Dzungars dig pits, they can't dig these specially trained sappers. And he also has a company of grenadiers in his hands, which is used in counterattack digging and digging tactics.

Since the Dzungars want to besiege the city, they might as well let them try.

As for talking about going out of the city to rob the camp, he was not interested.

He is one of the few core people who knows Liu Yu's strategy, and knows that Liu Yu's strategy is "able to show what he cannot". Didn't the Dzungars think that they would only build and defend cities? Then let them be more certain.

Outside the city.

Little Tseling Dundob set up camp on a flat ground on the west side of the city, looking out over the hedgehog-like fortress in the distance, and there was nothing to be done.

If there is no thick base and anti-artillery slope, it is to bully the Dzungar people with few guns, and there is no too strong anti-artillery base, which saves a huge amount of work, which is also a kind of adaptation to local conditions.

He had seen the fortress of Lake Yamesh, and knew that such a fortress would be difficult to attack. It's just that the Russian army at Lake Yamesh does not have enough flintlock guns, most of them are old shooting arquebuses and some Cossacks.

Da Ce Ling Dun Dob fought siege warfare, and did not fight a field battle with the flintlock army.

Even so, looking at such a familiar, star-like castle, little Celingdun Dobu was also depressed.

It can't be said that he doesn't have a cannon, but the cannon he thinks is a big musket in the eyes of Wu Fangrui, who is defending the city, and it cannons at all.

The elite "Baoqin" artillery team had only twenty or thirty guns. The Swede was only a sergeant, and the level of cannon casting was just that, and Da Ce Ling Dun Dob didn't want to expose the main force in advance.

Darling expressed his opinion of the city.

"We can't take it."

"Yes. So, we're going to lure them out. Otherwise, if they had climbed over the mountains and built a city at the southern foothills, we would not have been able to take it. ”

Holding a telescope captured from Russia, he observed it for a while, and ordered: "Prepare to try to attack." Don't kill too many people, scare them, just let the Han army in the big city come out. Wait for the Han army in the big city to come out, let's go. ”

The order was delivered, and the Bukharan gunners, who had fled from the west, began to advance with small cannons and camels carrying gyroscopes.

The musketeers dismounted, and the heavy Zambarak arquebuses could be shot a little farther and sparsely lined up below the city.

The cavalry dismounted, armed with scimitars, and made ladders for the siege out of nearby fir wood.

Wu Fangrui, who was observing the situation on the city wall, felt a little funny, did he attack the city like this?

Observing the dozens of small-caliber camel cannons, Wu Fangrui thought about the lessons Liu Yu had taught.

This thing was introduced to the Ottomans during the Zhengde period of the previous dynasty, and the Ottomans were transmitted to the countries of the Western Regions. After counting the Zhengde years, I pondered that it has been two hundred and fifty years, what is the use of this cannon?

There are also gyroscopes on warships, but they are not used for bombardment at all, but for deckwashing after close combat. This thing...... In the field, when the musket enhances the firepower of the arquebus, it is okay to use it to siege the city?

Wu Fangrui couldn't help but shake his head.

The artillery of the rear battalion, the largest cannon is more than 3,000 catties, not to mention that the camel's back does not move, but the recoil can directly kill the camel.

A little thought about it will give you an idea of the power of this camel cannon.

Seeing that the camel artillery under the city was slowly approaching, and estimating that the range of this "big musket" was between 100 and 200 paces, Wu Fangrui issued an order: the artillery must not fire, and lured them to assemble within the firing range.

After the order was transmitted, the artillery officers began to fine-tune the height angle of the artillery according to the previously set angle. Soldiers armed with flintlock pistols crouched behind the angular breastwork, restrained by the officers and not allowed to shoot.

From time to time, Dzungar riders whistling by, hurling a few meaningless feathered arrows at the city walls, or quickly firing a shot outside the moat, quickly retreating.

Small-caliber cannons and camel cannons began to move forward, and the musketeers lined up in sparse formations ready to move forward. Dismounted riders carried ladders across the moats and formed in front of them.

Bang bang bang......

Camel cannons and small cannons roared and hit the earthen walls, meaningless.

The artillery, which was scattered in the corners and corners, had been adjusted to the angle, just like the contents of a classic textbook in a fortress engineering course, waiting for a bombardment at the right distance.

Under the city, Darrin, who had come all the way from Almaty, was doing his encouragement before the siege.

"Warriors!"

Rumble......

He only said three words, and the city's artillery roared almost simultaneously, and a large number of iron pellets smashed towards the crowd that was gathering closely.

An eight-pound iron bullet smashed into the dry and hard ground, and it successfully completed a bounce.

With a brush, Darling's head was directly smashed by this iron pellet, his head was gone, and the whole person was also carried backwards.

In one artillery shot, more than 80 soldiers of the quasi-division were directly killed and wounded, and the first wave of infantry that tried to attack was only three or four hundred, and the offensive was instantly collapsed.

Looking at Darling's smashed head, which could not be traced, the people screamed and fled backwards. The covering musketeers could only shoot indiscriminately into the city for a while.

The city's artillery was quickly transferred to the kneeling camels, which were large but still flesh and blood.

Seven or eight pounds of iron balls flew at a speed of three or four hundred meters per second, and the slightest touch was disabled.

The musketeers on the ramparts also began to return fire, and the angled crossfire instantly suppressed the musketeers who were too close to the city.

The first tentative attack of the Dzungar Department ended without even seeing a splash. The subordinates snatched back Darlin's headless body, but the head that was hit by an eight-pound iron pellet could not be found.

Wu Fangrui thought about what he had learned in class: [The artillery of the defending side must be destroyed. If reinforcements are nearby, bombard the enemy's artillery and slow down the siege; If there are no reinforcements, leave them until the infantry is attacking the city and kill or wound the enemy's infantry.

The course is not wrong at all, Wu Fangrui looked at the corpses under the city, and said to the officers beside him with a smile: "I think, a lesson should be added to this course, if the besieging side does not have artillery, then the artillery defending the city can do whatever it wants." ”

The engineer officers had specialized in these courses and were in favor of the idea that "if you have a cannon, you can really do whatever you want."

Looking at the Dzungar camp from afar, the engineer officer said, "Lord Wu, after these Zhunga people try it once, they shouldn't come to attack." What shall we do? ”

"What should I do?"

Wu Fangrui looked at the Dzungar camp in the distance and thought to himself that although he was only a chief of staff, or a marching horse. However, the combat effectiveness of the quasi-department is really not strong, if there are only a few thousand people in front of them, with a regiment of infantry in the city, 300 cavalry, and the best sappers in the whole world, it is not a problem to directly attack its camp.

But after thinking about Liu Yu's strategy, this idea of rushing to attack was still resisted.

"Do nothing. If they want to live outside and surround it, then live outside and surround it. Anyway, the news has already passed, and Lord Liu will make a decision. ”

…………

In the large camp dozens of miles away, Liu Yu jumped up excitedly after getting the news.

Rubbing his hands, the messenger asked, "Is the siege sure that there are only five or six thousand men?" ”

"Hui sir, that's right. But if there are ambushes hiding in the distance, then I don't know. When Lord Wu heard the warning, he closed the city gate. ”

"Good! Well done. ”

Let the messenger go down, and after turning around the military tent a few times, the excitement is overflowing.

Seeing this, Jiao Lao Butu on the side recalled the military book he had read, and said: "My lord, could it be a trick of Dzungaria to lure the enemy?" ”

Liu Yu stopped and laughed: "I don't care if he is a trick to lure the enemy?" ”

"It's not a trick to lure the enemy, after defeating Xiao Celing Dundobu, go directly over the mountain. It's a trick to lure the enemy, and I'm hoping that he will lure me into the bait. With these more than 10,000 Qingzhou soldiers, walking sideways, which quasi-department dares to stop them? ”

"If you can't win a field battle, any tricks will not help. It's like the battle of Salhu that I said that day, if it was tens of thousands of Qingzhou soldiers that day, no matter what strategy he used, he just did it. The difficulty of the battle of Zhunbu is not on the battlefield, but in the subsequent stability. I don't care about the follow-up, I'm here to grab the credit! ”

Jiao Lao Butu knew that Liu Yu was the best at stealing credit, and when he thought of the old things in Heilongjiang, he was also very happy.

Back then, in Heilongjiang, the courage to grab the merit, no one was optimistic about the situation to win, and the arrogant Lao Butu was also a person who followed the great light, how could he not be excited at this time?

"Since the adults want to take the credit, I am very happy. What I was most afraid of before was the advance of light soldiers, and the adults didn't read the art of war very well. ”

"Hahaha, this time and that time. The art of war is a thing that is used wonderfully and with one mind. Have you ever seen a tiger afraid of a herd of sheep and luring the enemy deeper with the art of war? ”

Jiao Lao Butu also laughed along, and Liu Yu called the adjutant and asked them to ring the bell and raise the account.

Two messengers were called, and after a little waiting, he handed them the two letters, and then instructed: "Go to the rear camp and give these two letters to the Duke of E." Tell the Duke of E, please come out here before the Duke of Eguo moves to the camp. ”

The messenger ordered him to leave, and Liu Yu called the officers of the rest of the troops stationed here and said, "After I leave, you will be guarding the city." Prepare all the food and ammunition I arranged in advance. As soon as they got the news of me, they immediately escorted these things to catch up with me. ”

Leaving two staff officers and three hundred infantry to assist in defending the city, one of the staff officers asked, "My lord, if so...... If something happens to the front......"

Liu Yu raised his head and smiled, and said indifferently: "If something happens in front, you can't stick to it." No rescue is allowed. ”

"Yes."

Arrange the affairs of the city, and by noon the troops have been assembled.

More than 500 carts followed, loaded with food and ammunition. All were given dry food to carry with them, but they were not allowed to eat them. In the gunpowder bags, each person was given 90 rounds of lead bullet in paper packets.

The light cavalry of the reconnaissance dispersed, and closely reconnoitred the situation within forty miles of each other.

Light horsemen were on both sides, and the large army marched in columns according to the battalion, slowly leaving the city.

The people from the staff asked Liu Yu about his request, and Liu Yu gave a "march slowly, don't let the enemy know how fast we are going." camp at night, strictly prevent camp robbery".

The Qingzhou army's march speed is very fast, this is a no-man's land, and supplies need to be carried by themselves.

The four-wheeled carriage with steering mechanism allows the horse to carry a large amount of weight without carrying the weight of the body, and although it may not be possible to cross the Altai Mountains, it can still be used for a section of the march here.

The Qingzhou Army did not divide the army into forwards and rear guards like the rest of the troops.

Rather, the army acted collectively with its organizational strength and confidence in the speed of changing formations. It is enough to let the light cavalry ensure that the military intelligence is reported within forty miles.

Wu Fangrui's newly built small city is only a few dozen miles away from the big city, and if you march in a hurry, you can reach it in a day and a half. But the General Staff divided this journey into three days according to Liu Yu's request, and Liu Yu still disliked it a little faster.

This winter, the soldiers were well fed, warmly dressed, and ate a lot of sheep, and raised their fat for a winter, so that they could survive a hard life.