Changping Village is a small village with more than a dozen mud-brick thatched houses built on a sloping slope.

The three-way intersection is under the slope in front of the village entrance. The avenue from Jinchengzhai forks in front of the village, and the right one is a small road, which the caravan walked through last night, and you can get to Xinzheng Dam; The left side is the main road, which leads to Kusunokiba. An angle of about 60 degrees is formed between the left and right roads, and Changping Village is in the middle of this angle. After Changping Village, there is Changping Mountain dozens of zhang high. Changping Mountain is surrounded by cliffs on both sides, overlooking two roads, easy to defend and difficult to attack, and has extremely high military value. When the people in the village found out that the official army was coming, they immediately withdrew to Changping Mountain and tightly blocked the road up the mountain.

The villagers were hostile to the caravan, and they couldn't explain it for a while, so the defensive position of the caravan could only exclude Changping Mountain. Chen Youfu and his officers participated in the Songlin Mountain defense exercise, and they applied Zhu Pingjin's concept of positional flank defense to the selection of positions and the construction of fortifications. The central defensive position of the caravan was chosen on the slope in front of the village, sandwiched between the large and small roads.

Due to the terrain constraints, the front of the central position was very narrow, less than five zhang wide. Its width barely stretched out a short spear platoon. But the firearm platoon is different from the short spear platoon. Because of the fire rope bond, the width of the fire gun row is twice as wide as that of the dense short spear row. A platoon of muskets stood in two rows in a staggered formation, behind a row of short spears; The two flanks of the central position, protected by two more platoons of firearms. The four tiger squat guns of the artillery platoon were also arranged on the two wings.

Since Lin Yan brought back a woman to Chen Youfu, Chen Youfu has never given Lin Yan a good look. But the big war was approaching, Chen Youfu still arranged the first company and artillery platoon in the most important central position, and designated Lin Yan as the commander of the central position. Lin Yan accepted the order, and without the slightest delay, immediately commanded the soldiers to build fortifications.

"Company Commander Lin!" Chen Youfu stopped Lin Yan, who was sweating profusely, and pointed in the direction of Jincheng Walled, "The local tyrants came from the front, they are outnumbered, and they will definitely attack my three positions at the same time." The front of the center of the position was narrow, and they could not use it, so they naturally had to divide into two wings. ”

Chen Youfu turned in a direction and pointed to the road to Xinzheng Dam: "The right-wing road is a pass more than a mile long, and the narrowest part is less than six zhang wide. On the opposite side is a cliff, and it is difficult to threaten my right flank if you climb over it. Four companies of the first battalion were guarded here, two rows in front and two in the rear, with six rows in depth. There is an earthen rampart in front of the formation as a breastwork, and there are deer barricades and trenches in front of the chest wall, so I don't think it's a big problem. ”

Chen Youfu turned around again and pointed to the road to Nanmuchang: "The left wing is different. The left flank was wide, opposite the hills, and the Tyrant could easily detour behind the Triple Company. So you have to be ready to shift your fire to the left flank at any time and support the three kings in time! ”

"Battalion commander, my idea is to strengthen the frontal defense first. As long as the front is consolidated, our company can easily transfer firepower! ”

Lin Yan said, pulling Chen Youfu to the front position. Soldiers are erecting wooden fences.

The wooden fence was made of severed tree trunks, and was more than eight feet high, so that even a slightly shorter soldier could not reach the top when he jumped up. The wooden fences are connected to each other, and between each log, there is a gap of six or seven inches, and people cannot get in, but iron can be driven out. In front of the wooden fence, there are also rows of flat deer barns, all sharpened from cut branches. The main trunks of the deer are nailed to each other and inserted into the soil, while the tail end of the main trunk is nailed together with the wooden fence to form a whole, which can both prevent the enemy from dragging the deer away and provide stability to the wooden fence. Because of the time relationship, the footing of the wooden fence is shallow into the soil. Soldiers are digging up dirt and filling empty food bags. The soil bags are first pressed on both sides of the wooden fence, and then the gap between the wooden fences in the middle is filled with soil and compacted. This creates a wall of dirt bags, which can be used to protect the enemy from arrows and iron, even if the enemy has bows and arrows and firearms.

"The last general wants to dig another deep trench in front of the deer! The trenches on the slopes are low in front and high in the back, like cliffs. If the soil tyrant turns over, at such a close distance, he is sure to die at the bottom of the cliff! ”

Lin Yan didn't wait for Chen Youfu to nod, and then pointed to the left flank and said: "My central position is protruding several feet from the two flanks, and the local tyrants want to attack the roads on both flanks, and they will all be exposed to the side fire from the muzzle of our guns." Once the local tyrants find out that they have been deceived, they will definitely attack our central position from both flanks, so the last general suggested that the protrusions on the two wings of the company should be concocted in the same way, digging out the cliffs, so that the local tyrants can stand up and be beaten, but they cannot fight back! ”

Chen Youfu didn't answer immediately, he took Lin Yan to look back and forth, left and right, and then nodded in agreement: "Company Commander Lin, your idea of digging a cliff is very good!" In this way, let Minfu, He Jiabing and Tusi Pai all help you, dig the cliff higher and longer, preferably to both sides of the village! There is a wall and a house on the edge of the village, and it is another fortification. But remember, the cliffs on the left and right flanks should leave gaps one foot wide to serve as a passage for counterattack and retreat. The defensive terrain of the three companies on the left flank was unfavorable, and if the enemy made a detour, Wang Xingwu might not be able to withstand it. They retreated, and retreated under cover to the gap in the cliff. First line up at the gap and fight, if you still can't stand it, then retreat to the cliff. So there must be fortifications in the gap! ”

"Don't worry, battalion commander! As long as the central position is not lost, it must be the local tyrant who loses! Lin Yan wiped the sweat from his forehead and smiled a row of teeth. He pointed to a large pit being dug in front of the fence and said, "I'll dig a grave for the thugs there!" ”

The new defensive thinking of the superiors has made the work rhythm of the soldiers speed up again. Fortunately, during the defense exercise of the Songlin Mountain base, the problem of insufficient earthwork tools was discovered in time. On this expedition, the 3rd Battalion was not only equipped with enough hoes and shovels, but also many new digging tools - iron pickaxes.

An iron pickaxe, also known as a cross pickaxe by soldiers, is actually a cone-shaped hoe. Because the two cones divide the mass of the pickaxe head equally, it is well balanced, so it penetrates deep into the soil and has the same digging ability for pebbles, while the hoe with a flat and wide cutting edge is not. Chen Youfu, Luo Jingyun and He Yongnian and other officers of the caravan guard, each with one tool, took the lead in digging the soil, and the Li family who participated in the battle was dumbfounded.

For the first time, these self-proclaimed elite families discovered that fighting a war was not what they had imagined. Coming up is not to rush and kill, but to dig in the mud first.

……

Yao Yuchuan's bandit army passed the Jincheng Walled, and many small bandits shouted that they couldn't walk. Seeing that the time was still early, Yao Yuchuan ordered the whole army to be repaired, and he himself got off the sedan chair and called Jiang Chengren, the general.

"What does the young master command?" Jiang Chengren clasped his fists and saluted. He is a middle-aged Shaanxi man, with a beard growing indiscriminately on his face, giving people a very fierce feeling. Yao Yuchuan knew that Jiang Chengren was the most loyal and capable. But if there is any great matter, consult with him first.

"Come, Chengren, sit down and talk!" Yao Yuchuan, who was in his early twenties, greeted cordially.

"In front of the young master, how can there be a position of the last general!" Jiang Chengren didn't look at the bench brought by the minions, and still stood as before.

Jiang Chengren swept Yao Yuchuan's face, but Yao Yuchuan liked it even more. Seeing Jiang Chengren's respectful demeanor, he remembered the majesty of his father when he shook the sky and shook the sky.

"Chengren, did you find the official army in front?"

Jiang Chengren knew that the official army in the mouth of the young master in front of him was not Zhang Zuokai's department of Baoning Mansion, but the royal soldiers of Xinzheng Dam.

"Young master, the last general thinks that if the royal soldiers want to stop us, they will definitely choose Changping Mountain in front. However, they tried to ambush us, but they couldn't. Jiang Chengren said with a cruel smile, "The two-legged sheep in this area are already scared." As soon as they saw the officers and soldiers, they must have run around. If we can't catch anyone in the Tumen Field in front, the soldiers of the Royal Mansion will be in Changping Mountain! ”

Hearing that the royal soldiers were set in Changping Mountain, Yao Yuchuan showed a hesitant look: "Chengren, I heard that the royal soldiers are ......."

"Young master, those who achieve great things should not look forward and backward!" Jiang Chengren said loudly: "If the master hadn't led the brothers to pull up the anti-flag and kill the officer of the dog day, our group would have fucking fed the dogs!" Now that the cottage is short of food and salt, we can't grab food and drink, so we have to go back to attack the golden walled city, and pick out the tender meat in the city to cook and eat! What if the royal soldiers are well-equipped? It's all like goods! The King of Qin in Xi'an Mansion, the King of Rui in Hanzhong Mansion, and the King of Tang in Nanyang Mansion, which of the guards are all cowards, will the King of Shu in Chengdu Mansion be different? According to the general, we killed them early, cut down all the royal soldiers, and stripped them of their armor. When we take the Beiyuan Temple, we will go to the New Deal Dam again, and the salt and grain population will be there! By the end of the year, there were 20,000 brothers in the cottage! ”

Yao Yuchuan felt that he should remind his chief general: "Chengren, don't underestimate the enemy!" The royal soldiers rarely come out, and since they come out, they must be careful to deal with it! ”

"The young master rest assured, the last general has ordered the horse to investigate. The most soldiers of the royal palace are only 1,000, and Chen Da's front army has 1,000, and the two are half a catty and eight taels! We have 2,000 in the old camp, and another 1,000 in the back camp. Even if it is consumed by accompanying the royal soldiers, it will cost them to death! ”

Hearing Jiang Chengren's careful arrangement, Yao Yuchuan couldn't help but feel relieved. He lay on the sliding pole of the pergola, drank a pot of tea with the spout of the teapot, and kneaded the nipples on the little girl's chest a few times, and then squinted his eyes and got up on the sedan chair.

……

It was past noon, and the thug was still nowhere to be seen. The soldiers worked from dawn to noon, exhausted. They had lunch and sat in rows on the ground to rest. The late autumn sun is no longer as hot as summer, and it shines warmly on people. The fortifications that had been hurriedly strengthened again and again, and Chen Youfu was worried that the soldiers would be overworked, so he ordered them to rest for half an hour while they were eating. He himself, on the other hand, sat on a stone and gazed out at the mountains to the north.

There, there is his hometown.

"What does the battalion commander think?" Luo Jingyun and He Yongnian walked behind Chen Youfu. Or maybe they just heard something funny, and both of them had smiles on their faces.

"I'm thinking, there's another thug who hasn't heard from me. Will they take advantage of the fire? Chen Youfu said.

"Yang Maocai of Dayi Mountain?" He Yongnian was shocked.

"You can send cavalry to remind the He family soldiers who rushed to Nanmuchang, and ask them to organize the people to dig fortifications. They should also be told that their eyes should not only be fixed on Changping Mountain, but also at the Beiyuan Temple in the west. If there is a situation at Beiyuan Temple, report it immediately! Luo Jingyun said, his tone was categorical: "But the location of Changping Mountain can't be moved lightly!" Because here is the main point, if you occupy the main point, you will take the initiative! Even if the war situation is unfavorable, we can return to the New Deal Dam from here. If it was for Yang Maocai, who didn't know the news, he shook his determination to fight, it was the worst choice! ”

"The Overseer is right!" Chen Youfu patted the soil on his buttocks and stood up. "After beating Yao Yuchuan, we have a variety of options. Yilong County, Dayi Mountain, Nanmu Town, Beiyuan Temple, or Xinzheng Dam, we can go wherever we want! Brother He, the horses have all ridden out, and the people have not come back yet. You send someone to ride my horse to Nanmu Town and wait. ”

"You are the main general, how can you not have a horse?" Luo Jingyun turned to He Yongnian and said, "Ride my horse!" ”

At this moment, the figure of a war horse appeared on the road in the direction of Jincheng Wall, and in a blink of an eye, the figure turned into a col and disappeared. When it reappeared, the rider's tall figure and skillful horse control allowed Luo Jingyun to identify the rider at a glance:

It was Xu Yinhuan, the platoon commander of the Tusi Infantry Platoon!

Even if he is known as an infantryman, Xu Yinhuan, who was born in Tusi, his riding skills are still no less than any official cavalry.

……

"Report!" Xu Yinhuan ran to the front of the slope and rode a horse to report the enemy's situation, "The army of the earth tyrants has left the Tumen Field, less than twenty miles away!" ”

Twenty miles, a maximum of an hour. Chen Youfu instructed Xu Yinhuan to probe again, and at the same time ordered the soldiers to get up, check the equipment again, and strengthen the fortifications. That Xu Yinhuan ran the brown war horse out for more than a dozen steps, as if he missed something, and turned the horse's head back. He crossed Chen Youfu and shouted directly at the guards beside Luo Jingyun: "Yin Shou, why doesn't Luo Gongzi wear iron armor!" Something happened to Childe, I don't need Miss Luo's order, I'm going to cut off your head first! ”

"It's not that I don't want to wear it, it's that the iron armor is too heavy! After wearing it, I can't lift my hands......" Luo Jingyun stood on the hillside, explaining helplessly.

Chen Youfu smiled and said: "The prison army, wearing iron armor is also particular. THE TING BELT IS TO BE TIED TO THE OUTSIDE OF THE IRON ARMOR. Tighten the belt, and the weight of the iron armor is clubbed on the waist. You tied the straps inside, and didn't the weight of the iron armor hang all over your shoulders? How to lift a knife and a gun? ”

, I see! Luo Jingyun scolded secretly. No matter how smart a person is, there are times when he does stupid things.