For the next ten days, the Ming army continued to send scout cavalry to raid and harass.

However, the Qing army did not pay attention to it, and only when the Ming scout cavalry approached within 400 paces would they use the red-coated cannon or the Francophone cannon to face the lake.

It is to reload shotguns to attack.

The Franc cannon has a limited range of shotguns.

But the shotgun of the redcoat cannon was far and ruthless.

After suffering several losses, the Ming scout cavalry no longer dared to get too close.

The Qing army was not in a hurry, and only built a platform forward every day, preferring to be slow rather than greedy for merit.

However, on the eleventh day, something suddenly happened.

On this day, Hong Chengchou was eating breakfast, and Hong Da suddenly walked in.

"Something happened to the master." Flood of panting reports.

"Shut up!" Hong Chengchou said angrily, "Didn't you see the master, I was eating? ”

Although it has been lowered, Hong Chengchou still regards himself as a Confucian gentry, and the Confucian gentry pay attention to food and do not say anything, so it is very taboo to be disturbed when eating.

Hong Da didn't care, and said: "Minggou has also started to repair the platform." ”

"What's so strange about this?" Hong Chengchou said disapprerovingly, "The Ming army wants to repair the platform, although let them repair it." ”

"Oh, no." Hong Da was so anxious that he stomped his feet, "Minggou's platform was built to the east, and it was also repaired into a line, obviously trying to cut off the chain of our Qing soldiers." ”

"Is there such a thing?" Hong Chengchou's face was slightly gloomy.

As he spoke, Hou Fangyu also hurriedly walked in.

"Ministry, the lower officials heard that the army is also repairing the platform?"

Hou Fangyu came in and asked, "And you built a horizontal line?" ”

Hong Chengchou didn't say anything, got up and walked out by himself.

The two soon went up to the south gate tower of Jinghai County, the city wall of Jinghai County is only two zhang high, and the highest point is only less than three zhang high, but the view is excellent.

Because there is no shelter nearby.

The two of them stood at the head of the city, and with the help of telescopes, they could see the area within a radius of more than ten miles, even the camp of Chen Guantun, which was seven or eight miles away, could be clearly seen.

At this glance, a problem was found.

I remember that yesterday, the Ming army in the Chenguantun camp did not have any abnormal actions, but today, there are suddenly many more people, who are rushing to repair the platform in the wilderness east of the Chenguantun camp.

Moreover, the people of the Ming Dynasty were not repaired by one platform, but more than a dozen platforms were repaired at the same time!

Therefore, standing at the head of Jinghai City, it seems that a root has suddenly grown in the camp of Chen Guantun, and this extreme beard still extends straight to the east.

Looking north from this root, you can see the Gongtai chain being built in the Qing Dynasty.

It's just that the Qing Dynasty's Gongtai chain only extends about a thousand steps to the south, and it is necessary to avoid the Chenguantun camp, so it deliberately draws an arc to the east, so it has not yet been repaired to the Chenguantun line.

So now, the front end of the Daqing Dynasty's Gongtai chain is still some distance away from the Chenguantun camp.

This directly caused a result, before the Qing Dynasty's Gongtai chain crossed Chen Guantun, the Ming Dynasty's Gongtai chain might have extended to the Beihai Sea, and it was troublesome.

"Hong Butang, it's troublesome now."

Hou Fangyu said with a dark face: "I was preempted by Minggou." ”

Hong Chengchou's pair of thick eyebrows have also been twisted into a Sichuan character.

"How many people has the Ming army recruited? Repair a dozen platforms at once? ”

Hou Fangyu estimated and said in a deep voice: "Looking at this scene, there are tens of thousands of people. ”

"Tens of thousands!" Hong Chengchou said abruptly, "The two of us have tried our best to recruit more than 5,000 people, but Chongzhen has no effort to send tens of thousands of people from Jiangnan, plus Beijing and the people who transport grain and grass along the way, I am afraid that the people used by the Ming army have exceeded 500,000." ”

Hou Fangyu said: "The Ming army must have used more than 500,000 people, but the practice of the Ming Dynasty is still significantly different from that of our Qing Dynasty. ”

Hong Chengchou said: "What do you mean? ”

Hou Fangyu said: "Our people in the Qing Dynasty were forcibly recruited, only giving food, not silver, but the people of the Ming Dynasty were recruited through grain merchants, that is, the Ming court gave grain merchants a total price, and then the grain merchants were responsible for transporting grain and grass to the front line, and the required people and livestock were also hired by grain merchants. ”

Stretching out his hand, Hou Fangyu said again: "Including these people in front, most of them are also hired by businessmen. ”

"What do you do with these irrelevant things?" Hong Chengchou said angrily, "The headquarters just wants to tell you that the manpower of our Great Qing Dynasty cannot be compared with Nanming at all. ”

"There's no way around it." Hou Fangyu was also a little annoyed.

"The population of the north was originally inferior to that of the south, and when the Qing soldiers entered the customs, they killed a lot, and then scared away a lot, so that the population of the northern provinces was reduced by six, and the manpower was exhausted."

After a pause, Hou Fangyu asked again: "Do you still want to repair the chain?" ”

"Of course." Hong Chengchou gritted the back socket and said, "This is the last chance of the Qing Dynasty." ”

Hou Fangyu said: "But looking at the construction progress of both sides, the Ming army will obviously take the lead in repairing, and when the distance is close, our people in the Qing Dynasty will have to build a platform under the artillery fire of the Ming army." ”

"It must be repaired under the artillery fire of the Ming army." Hong Chengchou said.

Hou Fangyu didn't say anything more, so he could only give it a try.

If you can't fix the chain, there's really nothing you can do.

……

So in the following month, the two sides began to repair the platform.

After repairing a chain from Chenguantun to Tianshuijing, the Minfu of the Ming Dynasty began to repair the second one, so that the Minfu who transferred the baggage could walk in the middle of the two Gongtai chains, which was safer.

The people of Jiannu began to raise the size of each platform, which was larger, the parapet wall was thicker, the ditch was wider and deeper, and even the slope protection was increased from the original five feet high to one zhang high and three zhang long.

Moreover, Jiannu added a platform chain on both sides of the original platform chain.

In other words, Daming is preparing to widen into a double lane on the basis of a single lane.

But Jiannu directly decided to go on the three lanes, and set the highest standards.

Because the construction standards are too high, and it is still three lanes, the progress is naturally slow.

Until the twenty-tenth of March of the 22nd year of Chongzhen (1649), Beihai had thawed, and the two-lane highway of Daming and the three-lane highway of Jiannu were finally about to intersect.

The day when the chains of the two sides intersect is the time of the decisive battle.

For this, Hong Chengchou and Hou Fangyu are very clear.

Looking at the thousands of Lian Yong and the Eight Banners Han Army waiting in the trench through the binoculars, Hou Fangyu frowned.

"Hong Butang, the Ming army's platform has been repaired first, which is equivalent to having occupied the initiative on the battlefield, do we really want to forcibly attack?"

"Or else?" Hong Chengchou asked rhetorically.

"Is there a better way for Hou to join the army?"

Hou Fangyu said: "We may be able to change the battlefield, since the Ming dog has repaired the chain between Chen Guantun and Tianshuijing, then simply don't entangle with the Ming army too much here, we might as well turn our eyes to the three hundred miles between Chen Guantun and Beijing, as long as we find an opportunity to cut off one of them?" ”

】

Hong Chengchou said: "The Ming army can build a chain between Chenguantun and Tianshuijing, can't it build another chain between Beijing and Chenguantun?" The manpower that the Qing Dynasty can mobilize is far inferior to Nanming, so we will never be able to win Nanming in the competition of repairing the platform, so let's face it. ”

Hou Fangyu said: "From the sweet water well to Chenguantun more than 100 miles, the Ming army built more than 200 guns, from Chenguantun to Beijing is 300 miles, the Ming army has to build 400 guns, so that the Ming army's forces will not be scattered?" In this way, not only can the siege of Beijing be relieved, but also the Ming army can be dispersed and controlled everywhere. ”

"It's just wishful thinking on your part." Hong Chengchou said.

"Nanming's manpower is far superior to that of my Qing Dynasty, will there be a shortage of troops?"

After saying this, Hong Chengchou continued: "Don't forget, the total strength of the Nanming New Army is 270,000, but so far, Chongzhen has only used 150,000 of them. ”

Hou Fangyu was silent for a moment, because what Hong Chengchou said was the truth.

Not only did Nanming have 120,000 new troops who have not moved, but there are also 670,000 town soldiers who have not moved.

The reason why Chongzhen did not mobilize all his troops was probably to lure the Qing soldiers into a field battle with him.

Therefore, once the Qing soldiers really threaten the safety of the Ming army's grain route, Chongzhen is really likely to transfer the remaining 120,000 new troops and 670,000 town soldiers.

Hong Chengchou sighed and said: "None of this matters, what's more troublesome is that it will take another month or two to build a chain from Jinghai County to the west." ”

"Hou joins the army, do you think we will have such a long time?"

After a pause, Hong Chengchou said again: "Not to mention whether the national strength of the Qing Dynasty can afford to be consumed, even if it can be consumed, will the regent allow us to continue to consume it like this?" ”

Hou Fangyu said: "The regent is wise and wise, ancient and modern, and he will understand our difficulties. ”

Hong Chengchou said: "The regent can understand our difficulties, but what about the other Eight Banner nobles? Can the emperor, the empress dowager, and the Han gentry in Beijing understand our difficulties? Hou joined the army, and the regent was also under great pressure. ”

Hou Fangyu was finally persuaded by Hong Chengchou, and immediately set his eyes on the platform in front of him.

"Hong Butang, what was the result of the last storming of the Chenguantun camp, I don't think I need to say more."

After a pause, Hou Fangyu said again: "This time, the Eight Banners Han Army and Lian Yong will be able to take the Ming Army's Gongtai?" ”

"I don't know, I don't know." Hong Chengchou said a little helplessly, "So far, I won't hide it from you, but I'm just doing my best to obey the destiny of heaven, so let's do my best." ”

Speaking of this, Hong Chengchou couldn't help but think of an ancient text.

That is the "Donkey of Qian" written by Liu Zongyuan, a great Confucian in the Tang Dynasty.

Hong Chengchou felt that he was the donkey in Liu Zongyuan's pen.

Qian donkey skills are poor, and now he Hong Chengchou is really poor in Qian donkey skills.