The muddy river of Zhangshui is just a tumultuous river between the Yuan and Ming armies.

Chen Dexing looked at the river under the moonlight, as well as the company camp of the Mongolian army on the other side of the river, and just shook his head and smiled bitterly. This Kublai Khan turned out to be a dogskin plaster, and just after beating Li Pu, he took 70,000 tired soldiers to stick up, and according to the Zhangshui village, blocking Chen Dexing's way to the canal.

Looking up, on the north bank of Zhangshui, the Mongolian camp is brightly lit, and there are faint cheers of Mongolians and the crying of the children of the Han family!

After Kublai Khan's great victory in Jingcheng, he plundered all the way - pity the Han people who were not coerced by a certain cult leader, and now they are under the iron hooves and butcher's knives of the Mongols**.

And the confrontation with the Mongol army in the river is the famous city controlled by Chen Dexing-that is the one in "Water Margin", "The city is high and dangerous, wide and deep; The drum tower is majestic and the characters are prosperous; Thousands of dancing pavilions, tens of thousands of Lin Palaces; Thousands of fierce generals will dominate the city, and millions of Li people will live in the country".

This was built in the Northern Song Dynasty Renzong Dynasty of the Xiongcheng divided into the outer city inner palace, the outer city circumference is 48 miles, there is a palace circumference of three miles, although it has been dilapidated for more than 100 years, the population is less than one-twentieth of more than one million in the heyday. However, the grandeur of the past can still be seen from the tall and sturdy outline.

Daimyo Castle was originally under Shi Tianze's rule, but it was far less prosperous than Zhending Castle, and there were only a few thousand inhabitants, all of whom gathered on both sides of the Daimyo Imperial Street south of the original Daimyo Miyagi. As for the rest of the city, it is all dilapidated, and there are basically no people. It wasn't until the arrival of nearly 300,000 people who were coerced by Chen Dexing that this once rich and prosperous Xiongcheng was rejuvenated.

But then he carried the aftermath of Jing Cheng's big victory. The fierce Mongol army that arrived from Zhending Road shrouded the whole city in an atmosphere of imminent war.

But Kublai Khan did not lose his reason because of a great victory. Still played very carefully. did not attack Chen Dexing, who had a strong city to fear, but cautiously in the east of the Daimyo. set up a hard village according to Zhangshui and became a vicious dog blocking the way!

As for Kublai Khan's purpose, it is also clear. is not to let Chen Dexing return to Yanyun, let alone let Chen Dexing establish a stable stronghold in the Daimyo's Mansion.

As long as Chen Dexing's elite soldiers could not return to Yanyun, Yanjing's Ming army would not be able to expel the Moge troops who occupied Yanshan. And if Yanshan cannot be taken, there will be no way to restore the agricultural production around Yanjing - the Mongols can cross the Yanshan Pass to grab a handful around Yanjing and on the Yidong Plain at any time! Who still has the heart to farm?

At the same time, the 300,000 people coerced by Chen Dexing are even less likely to be put into production and become a source of money and food for the Beiming regime.

If the 500,000 people in Yanjing and the 300,000 people in the daimyo can't make arrangements before the next year's planting season. Then Chen Dexing will have to worry about the food ration for 800,000 people a year - the current grain crops in the north, mainly wheat (barley, wheat), sorghum, millet (millet) and soybeans, are not very large. Sweet potatoes, potatoes and other high-yield crops are still waiting for the great explorer Wen Tianxiang to discover in the Americas!

Therefore, relying on the surplus grain of Liaodong and Goryeo, it is impossible to feed the population of Yanjing and Daimyo at least 800,000.

In this way, the food shortage in Beiming will continue until the following year. Kublai Khan had enough time to rectify the Central Plains, unite with the Southern Dynasties, and improve his weapons - Kublai Khan, who had already seen the power of cannons, thunder arrows, and steel armor, was now determined to let the warriors of the Great Mongols use the most modern weapons and equipment of the 13th century!

And Chen Dexing learned that Li Pu's troops were defeated at Jingcheng Pass. What I think has also changed. After the defeat, Li Pu was no longer able to cross Taihang and have Hebei, and it was difficult to even preserve the old nest of Yidu. This land of Hebei is now a non-yuan and a clear thing.

At this time, the two major cities on the Hebei Plain - Yanjing and Daimyo. It's all under the control of Daming.

As long as Kublai Khan's army of 60,000 or 70,000 is forced back, the Ming Dynasty can dominate Hebei and look at the Central Plains!

Chen Dexing looked at the Mongolian army camp on the other side of Zhangshui. I was just distracted, and I didn't make a sound for a long time. Guo Kan, Wang Lufei and Zhu Sijiu and others beside him. He was also fascinated by the Zhangshui and the open plains around him. It can be seen that these three generals of the Ming army. Equally exciting.

The defeat of the Eastern Tang Dynasty has already shown that Li Pu can't beat Kublai Khan! Then the heavy task of restoring the Han land and saving the tens of millions of Han people in the Central Plains can only be undertaken by Chen Dexing, the king of the Ming Dynasty! As long as Chen Dexing can defeat Kublai Khan, which seems to be no difficult thing for Chen Dexing, then Chen Dexing will be the lord of the Central Plains.

Since ancient times, those who win the Central Plains win the world!

There was a sudden sound in front, but it was three or five black flag vests guarding Yang Axi and galloping over, several people were drenched in sweat, and they ran to Chen Dexing before holding the reins. Yang Axi turned over and dismounted, and dropped on one knee in return: "Great King, the minister has patrolled along the canal for thirty miles, and has not found any signs of Mongolian cavalry activity. The minister also arranged dark posts along the way, and prepared rockets (which were fired with a rifle), and if there was anything abnormal, he would send arrows to warn, and the king could pass with confidence. ”

Chen Dexing went out of the city to check the terrain, and the decisive battle with Kublai Khan must be fought! Moreover, it is unlikely that the decisive battle will break out under the Daimyo, Kublai Khan will not let his Mongol warriors attack the city, nor can he let Chen Dexing fight against the city. The area where the battle may break out is south of Zhangshui or east of the canal. Chen Dexing went out of the city tonight to see the terrain - the map of this year is not credible at all, and it is reassuring to check it with his own eyes.

Chen Dexing responded and waved Yang Axi to retreat. Then he turned back to Guo Kan, Wang Lufei and Zhu Sijiu: "The lonely king has been thinking twice, the government affairs of the Daimyo's Mansion are all managed by Han Ansheng, and the military affairs will be managed by Lu Fei." ”

Wang Lufei is a cavalry general of the Northern Ming Army, with the rank of army general. His status in the army of the Daimyo Mansion is second only to Chen Dexing. If Chen Dexing led his troops out of the city, the task of defending the famous city could only be undertaken by him.

"Brother obeys!"

Wang Lufei said again: "Big brother, if Kublai Khan sends troops to besiege the city, how should his younger brother deal with it?" ”

"Hold on!" Chen Dexing paused, and then instructed Guo Kan and others, "The new army also needs to step up training...... In a month at most, we will have a decisive battle with Kublai Khan. At that time, the new army will also go to the battlefield! ”

The New Army is an army mobilized from 300,000 "liberated" people, and there are many of them, 780,000 people, but they are poorly trained and equipped.

Guo Kan smiled: "King, don't worry." You give me a month, and I will keep you 60,000 elites who can fight and rush! ”

"The King's ......"

Guo Kan asked again, but seemed to hesitate. Chen Dexing looked at him and motioned for him to continue. Guo Kan said: "The problem of the new army is that there is no armor...... Without armor, it is difficult to stop the Mongols' bows and arrows when they are in battle! ”

Chen Dexing smiled and asked rhetorically: "Guo Qing must have a way?" ”

Not to mention, although this "Guo Daxia" has not read "Wu Mu's Testament", there are really many ways to fight, and Zhang Shijie is really inferior to him. It's just that this guy always has some ambitions and refuses to hand over his military power......

"It is possible to integrate the new army into the old army...... The new soldiers are equipped with spears or bows and arrows, and the unarmored new soldiers do not stand in front of the battle with spears, and then wear a round shield on their heads to resist the bow and arrows. ”

What a solution! Let the armor stand in the way and the unarmored in the back - so that the Mongols could hardly hurt the unarmored recruits with their arrows.

"Wearing a round shield?" Chen Dexing looked at Guo Kan with some incomprehension. I saw Guo Kan take a Mongolian wicker shield from the horse he was leading, then took off the helmet and buckled the shield on his head - it turned out that this kind of shield could be worn on the head as a helmet (usually worn when climbing ladders).

"Is the round shield enough?"

Guo Kan said: "It's not enough, but it can be built temporarily, this shield is not difficult to make, with wicker, leather, rattan." ”

Chen Dexing thought for a while, and then asked: "In this way, the establishment of various armies will also be greatly changed?" ”

Guo Kan said: "It must be changed, the establishment of the Ming army is unreasonable, the first brigade is only 1,300 people is too little, it should be increased to more than 3,000 people, according to the method of the silver armor brigade." The Fourth Division of the Chinese Army can be expanded into three brigades of 3,000 men; If the Guards Division is reorganized into infantry, it can be expanded into two brigades of 3,000 men, and hundreds of guards can be set aside for the king; The minister's Silver Armor Brigade could be expanded into two brigades. That's it, but the infantry will be able to have 7 brigades of elite. In addition, many of the sons of the local tyrants who belonged to the king were good at riding and fighting, and they were enough to recruit 2,000 light horsemen. ”

The total number of seven brigades of more than 3,000 men was about 22,000, and the total number of cavalry members increased to 5,500 after the expansion of 2,000 men. In addition, Chen Dexing was accompanied by 3 artillery companies and 2 ballista companies, as well as a few hundred Chen Dexing's guards (left after the reorganization of the Guards Division), so that the number of troops who could go out of the city to fight in the field here would increase to more than 28,000.

But he had the strength to fight with Kublai Khan's army of sixty or seventy thousand!

Chen Dexing took a deep breath and said in a low voice: "Lu Fei, Sijiu, you will reorganize the army according to Guo Qing's method, select people from among the new troops in the Daimyo City, and all those who are selected will be paid fields and military salaries according to the standards of ordinary soldiers, and the settlement allowance will be paid immediately." He glanced at Guo Kan again, "As for the Silver Armor Brigade...... Expand into divisions and give 6,500 troops! All kinds of systems are according to the original regulations! This soldier is still Guo Qing's! ”

"Thank you for the king's grace!" Guo Kan was overjoyed when he heard this, and leaned over to salute.

After saying these words, Chen Dexing nodded at the three people in front of him, and then stepped on a tall Western Regions war horse and said loudly: "Let's go, let's take a look along Zhangshui and see what place is suitable for a decisive battle!" (To be continued......)