In Taoyuan County, Lu Xiangtong was patrolling the banks of the Yellow River with a team of villagers.

Lu Xiangtong is a member of the South Zhisheng, and his cousin is Lu Xiangsheng, a Mengren who can be counted in the Ming Dynasty.

Lu Xiang's reputation is not as big as that of his cousin Lu Xiangsheng, but his martial arts are also good, and he is also tall and burly.

Pointing to the ice surface of the Yellow River, Lu Xiangtong said to the captain of the village next to him: "Sanwang, you take a few people down to chisel the ice near the river bank." ”

"Yes." Wu Sanwang, the captain of the Xiangyong team, immediately led people down the river.

With great effort, the ice surface of the Yellow River was finally chiseled.

Wu Sanwang compared his hands, looked up and said to Lu Xiangtong: "My lord, the ice is one foot thick!" ”

"It's more than a foot thick!" Lu Xiangtong's face immediately fell, "With such a thick layer of ice, even if tens of thousands of people stand on the ice, I am afraid it will not collapse." ”

"In this way, Jiannu will be able to attack directly from this side of the river."

"Then we spent nearly half a year to build more than 100 guns in the east, west and south directions of the county, and they can no longer play any defensive functions."

The topography of Taoyuan County is slightly unique.

Because the location of Taoyuan County is as high as the Yellow River embankment, and it is very close to the county seat, the Yellow River has directly become the moat of Taoyuan County.

There are pros and cons to this.

Lu Xiangtong said worriedly: "How can this be good? ”

Wu Sanwang said: "My lord, why don't you withdraw all the townspeople into the county seat?" ”

"How's that going to work?" Lu Xiangtong shook his head like a rattle, "The height of the city wall in Taoyuan County is only two zhang, and at this height, Jiannu doesn't even need a ladder, you can climb it up by taking a ladder!" Therefore, if there is no arch guard on the periphery, the low city wall of the county town alone cannot be defended, and at best it will hold on for two or three days. ”

Wu Sanwang scratched his head and said, "My lord, maybe Jiannu won't come to fight Taoyuan County." ”

"Nonsense, don't have such a fluke mentality." Lu Xiangtong said categorically, "If Jiannu does not attack Xuzhou for a long time, he will inevitably divide his troops and detour to Huai'an Mansion or Fengyang Mansion, if it is a detour to Huai'an Mansion, the first thing to bear the brunt is Suining County in Huaxia, and then it is our Taoyuan County, so we must be prepared." ”

"But the problem is, this battle is really not easy to fight."

"No one could have imagined that the weather would be so cold this spring."

Wu Sanwang smiled bitterly: "Although the Yellow River also froze in previous years, the ice will not be so thick. ”

"I'll think again." Lu Xiangtong frowned and said, "I remember that the saint said that there are always more ways than difficulties, and as long as you think about it, you can always think of a solution......

Before the words fell, Wu Sanwang suddenly shouted: "My lord, someone is coming over on the river!" ”

"Huh?" Lu Xiangtong and Huo Ran looked up, and saw a figure sliding over the river.

"My lord, it seems to be our messenger, either from Pizhou or from Suining......" In the middle of speaking, Wu Sanwang suddenly shouted again, "He seems to be injured." ”

Lu Xiangtong also saw that this person's cotton armor was almost soaked with blood.

Needless to say, this person must be Wang Poju, who escaped death from the arrows of the three Jiannu white-armored soldiers, and did not dare to stop to bandage his wounds along the way, and even slid to Taoyuan by force.

Seeing Lu Xiangtong, Wang Poju secretly said that he was lucky.

Originally, I was worried that I wouldn't be able to enter the city, but I didn't expect to meet Master Lu Xiangtong here.

Wang Poju has followed Huaxia to Taoyuan County many times, and he is already very familiar with Lu Xiangtong and Wu Sanwang.

"Ahh Wu Sanwang also recognized Wang Poju and hurriedly stepped forward.

But Wang Poju's sliding speed was too fast to stop at all, and he brought Wu Sanwang down at once, and the two of them skated on the ice for more than a dozen steps before they hit the riverbank before stopping.

When Lu Xiangtong rushed over, Wang Poju was already angry.

Niyaha's arrow actually didn't hit the vital point, but only pierced Wang Poju's right shoulder blade.

If you can find a Lang Zhong in time to bandage the wound, most of the right arm will be useless, but it is not a problem to save your life, but Wang Poju's mission is in his body, so he can't take care of it.

As a result, it took an hour or two to drain all the blood in his body.

"My lord, my lord asked me to come to Taoyuan to inform you......" Wang Poju forcibly cheered up, and said that Huaxia's meaning was very different, and then he couldn't do it.

The mission has been accomplished, and once the tense nerves are relaxed, the person will soon be gone.

Lu Xiangtong immediately sent the accompanying Xiang Yong to select the Xiang Yong who had a large number of poor children and was honest.

Although I am not sure whether Huaxia's method will work or not, I can only give it a try now.

Sent away to accompany the villagers, Lu Xiangtong said to Wu Sanwang again: "Sanwang, dig a pit with me and bury the broken pot brothers, just bury them by the Yellow River." ”

"My lord, I'll come."

Wu Sanwang hurriedly came over and grabbed the shovel.

"Ahh Lu Xiangtong suddenly shouted.

Wu Sanwang was startled, and said in a lost voice: "What's wrong with my lord?" ”

Lu Xiangtong said urgently: "Sanwang, will you be able to play ice?" ”

"Yes." Wu Sanwang said blankly, "If you grow up by the Yellow River, there is no one who can't play ice." ”

"Great." Lu Xiangtong hurriedly said, "You hurry home and put on the ice linden, and then take the Yellow River waterway to Qinghe County and Huai'an Fucheng, and relay the letter from the Pohu brothers to the scholars of Qinghe County and Huai'an Fucheng." ”

"Yes." Wu Sanwang didn't dare to slack off, and immediately turned around and ran back.

……

I have to say that the ice is fast, much faster than riding a horse.

Wu Sanwang set off from Taoyuan County in the evening, arrived at Qinghe in the middle of the night, and then arrived outside Shanyang City in the early morning of the next day, and happened to meet Yan Yingyuan and Mao Xiang, who were patrolling the city defense.

After listening to Wu Sanwang's relay, Yan Yingyuan nodded and said that he understood.

"Someone." Yan Yingyuan said again, "Take the Sanwang brothers back to Xingyuan to drink hot soup to warm up." ”

"Your Excellency, you don't have to." Wu Sanwang politely refused, "The mission is in the body, the villain has to hurry back to Taoyuan County to resume his life." ”

Seeing Wu Sanwang stepping on the ice linden and quickly walking away from the ice, Mao Xiang asked, "Brother Wan Heng, do you think the method sent by Huaxia can work?" ”

Yan Yingyuan said: "This tactic of Huaxia is undoubtedly a very good tactic, but it is not suitable for Shanyang. ”

"Brother Wanheng, I don't understand this." Mao Xiang was puzzled, "Why is it not suitable for our Shanyang?" ”

Yan Yingyuan said: "The reason is very simple, because Suining County, Taoyuan County and Qinghe County are chicken ribs for the Jiannu army, the food is tasteless, and it is a pity to abandon it, but we Shanyang are not." ”

"Chicken ribs?" Mao Xiang nodded, and also remembered this allusion during the Three Kingdoms period.

Yan Yingyuan said again: "So Huaxia and Lu Xiang can recruit dead soldiers from the village bravery, and use these dead soldiers to fight for their lives against Jiannu, Jiannu realizes that the price to be paid to take Suining, Taoyuan and Qinghe counties will be far greater than the benefits that can be obtained from them, so they are not willing to waste time and troops in those small counties." ”

"I see." Mao Xiang nodded and said, "But compared to Suining, Taoyuan and Qinghe County, Shanyang, the city of Huai'an Mansion, is a big piece of fat, because Shanyang is not only the residence of the Yamen of the Governor of Hecao, but also one of the inner warehouses of the Internal Affairs Mansion is also in Shanyang, and the richest gentry of Huai'an Mansion is also in Shanyang City!" ”

"Exactly." Yan Yingyuan sighed, "So Huaxia's tactics are useless to us. ”

Mao Xiang paused and said: "I don't know when the second batch of bird guns and tiger squat cannons from the arsenal will be transported to Shanyang?" ”

As a city of Huai'an, Shanyang is still treated differently from small counties such as Suining, and it is additionally equipped with tiger squat cannons and bird guns.

It's just that because the production capacity of the Daming Arsenal can't keep up, only half of the 2,000 bird guns and 100 tiger squat cannons originally scheduled to be supplied to Shanyang Xiangyong have been delivered.

"I can't wait." Yan Yingyuan said, "The canal is frozen, the boats have all been suspended, and the arsenal can only load the bird guns and tiger squats to take the dry road, so don't say that it will take ten days and half a month, and it may not be possible to arrive in two months, at that time, Jiannu has already arrived in the city, so don't expect the second batch of bird guns and tiger squat cannons." ”

Mao Xiang became more and more worried, frowned and said, "How is this good?" ”

"The soldiers are coming, the water is flooding, and when the time comes, it will be the move." Yan Yingyuan seemed calm and composed, "The Holy Lord once said that there are always more ways than difficulties, as long as you think about it, there will definitely be a way." ”

Speaking of this, he added: "As for the present, it is to reserve as many materials as possible, such as gunpowder, lime, rolling wood and stones, and even gold juice, as much as you want!" There are also fire-burning things such as sulfur, firewood, straw, wheat straw, etc., and troops should be sent to collect as much as possible, and by the way, there should also be more reserves of wood. ”

As for the grain or something, don't worry, there are millions of stones of grain stored in the Shanyang warehouse.

Therefore, even if the city is besieged for a year, Shanyang City will not have to worry about the lack of food.

Mao Xiang made Yan Yingyuan even more nervous, as if Jiannu had already arrived in the city, and a big war had broken out.

When Yan Yingyuan saw this scene, he smiled and persuaded: "Brother Bijiang don't have to be nervous, in short, we will do our best to hold on to Shanyang, as for the final result, can we hold it?" Let Heaven decide. I am a scholar in my life, but I want to be worthy of the mission, worthy of the Ming Dynasty, and worthy of the world. ”

The implication is to do your best and accept whatever the end result is.

After hearing Yan Yingyuan's words, Mao Xiang suddenly became enlightened, yes, what's the use of worrying and being nervous? Just do your best and have a clear conscience.

At that moment, Mao Xiang said: "Brother Wanheng, I am responsible for raising all kinds of materials, and I will entrust the deployment of the city defense to you, because you have fought with Haikou in Jiangyin, and you have more experience than me in this regard." ”

Yan Yingyuan said happily: "Okay, then it's hard to get rid of the Xinjiang brother." ”

"Hey, it's all for the Ming Dynasty, for the world, how hard it is." After Mao Xiang finished speaking, he turned around and hurried away, while Yan Yingyuan's gaze turned to the canal.