On the afternoon of the fifth day, the Southern Route Army led by Chen Wenqi drove to Jingzhou City and joined the Western Route Army led by He Tang in the south of the city. He asked the generals of each battalion to hand over to He Tang's troops, and then brought a few personal soldiers to the west of Jingzhou City with the mobile defense troops led by He Tang.

Qin Sen welcomed Chen Wenqi into the Chinese military tent, and it happened that Lu Wan was also here. Knowing that Lingzhou had been recovered, everyone was overjoyed.

Lu Wan clasped his fists and said, "Congratulations to General Chen." To recover the three guards, you are the first to take the lead, and when the class teacher returns to the dynasty in the coming day, the last general will definitely ask Master Ma to play the Ming Shengshang and ask for merit for General Chen. Although Lu Wan is the deputy general of the expeditionary force, this trip is responsible for the military department's assessment of the military merits of the soldiers and the promotion of the proposed promotion, so he has this to say.

"'Xiao Laisi serves the country, not loves the marquis', as long as the rivers and seas in the world are feasting and the people live and work in peace and contentment, even if the individual is coarse and clothed, it is not impossible. Chen Wenqi said lightly, in order not to talk about this topic anymore, he then asked: "How is the situation in Jingzhou City?"

Qin Sen, who didn't speak for a long time, said: "The Tartars have been planning to occupy Sanwei for a long time, and they have made full preparations to hold the city, and the woods within a radius of dozens of miles of Jingzhou City have been burned down by them, basically cutting off the source of our army's siege equipment (in ancient times, it was necessary to build moats and bridges to cross the moats, and use ladders, wooden curtains, chariots and other equipment to climb the city tower, and these instruments were made of wood); Not only that, but they also prepared plenty of food and grass to prepare for a long-term engagement with our army. Therefore, when we feinted against the city of Jingzhou, Abahai only closed the gates of the city and did not engage our army. ”

"Abahai's move can be described as extremely vicious. The art of war: 'It is also used in battle, noble victory, long time dull soldiers are frustrated, siege is force'. Seeing that autumn is going to winter, if Jingzhou City cannot be attacked for a long time, and after autumn, it will be miserable and bitter, and our army may not attack and become chaotic. Lu Wan said worriedly.

"Yes, I thought that the power of ten 'Tiger Cannons' would be enough to blast open the city gate and take Jingzhou City. I never thought that Abahai not only strengthened the city gate, but also widened the moat, the power of the 'Tiger Cannon' was limited, and the siege equipment was insufficient, how to take Jingzhou City, I had to think deeply. He Tang also interjected at this time.

When the three of them said this, they all kept silent, and they all looked at Chen Wenqi with their eyes.

In terms of grade, Lu Wan and He Tang are slightly lower than Chen Wenqi, but Qin Sen is the fourth grade, which is higher than Chen Wenqi. But Chen Wenqi was the hand-picked "deputy envoy", and his status was second only to Xia Yao in the entire campaign to recover Ningxia Sanwei. Moreover, he is still a Qincha, and the royal gold medal has the power to "control local officials and promote soldiers and horses from all walks of life", so at this time, Qin Sen, Lu Wan, and He Tang are still waiting for him to make an idea.

Chen Wenqi sat on the chair and pondered for a long time before standing up and saying, "It's still early, why don't you go to the city to have a look?"

The man who is the terrain is also the help of the soldiers. Everyone understood Chen Wenqi's intentions, and hurriedly asked the guards to bring the war horses, bring a small group of cavalry from the Shenji Battalion, and accompany Chen Wenqi to quietly approach Jingzhou City to observe.

In the twilight, the scenery outside Jingzhou City is clear at a glance. As mentioned earlier, this Jingzhou city was originally on the border of the territory of the Ming Dynasty, and the cities of Pingluo, Phoenix, and Lingzhou were strung together in a line, becoming the Ming Dynasty to guard the northwest. The barrier against the attack of the Tatar tribes is that the fortifications of the old city are built very strongly: the moat that goes around the city was originally wide and deep, and after the Abahai is widened again, it has reached more than 50 zhang, and the widest part even exceeds 70 zhang; on the inner bank of the moat, there is a sheep and horse wall, which is about nine feet high and two feet thick, and is about ten steps away from the city wall, and there is a side gate corresponding to the city gate for ordinary access; the city wall is nearly four zhang high, the wall base is four zhang eight feet thick, and the top of the wall is three zhang and three feet thick; the city wall is a rammed earth structure, and the outer brick is five feet thick, and the base is less than eight feet, and the dark purple Helan stone masonry is used。 From a distance, there are countless giant crossbows placed on top of the castle tower, and the flying torches and fierce fire oil tanks used to burn the siege equipment such as ladders are also faintly visible.

The group watched and walked, and unconsciously walked near the south gate.

Chen Wenqi said to Qin Sen and the others: "General Qin, please go back first." ”

Lu Wan was stunned for a moment and asked, "General Chen, you don't go to the West Gate, how to attack the city, we are still waiting for you to get an idea." ”

Chen Wenqi smiled and said, "I'll delay for a while, and I'll go right away." ”

Qin Sen and the others thought that he had something to explain to his subordinates, so they parted.

In less than an hour, Chen Wenqi returned to the military tent in Ximenzhong.

Lu Wan was anxious, and before he could sit down, he asked, "What does General Chen think after seeing Jingzhou City?"

"The walls of the city are high, the water is deep, the moats are wide, and the soldiers are strong and sharp, and they are impregnable. Chen Wenqi said sixteen words, and when he saw Lu Wan and the others showing anxious expressions, he then changed the conversation:

"Even so, it's not invulnerable......"

"General Chen, what is the best way to break the city? Lu Wan was a little impatient.

Chen Wenqi smiled dumbly and said five words: "Attack what you don't defend." ”

"Attack it or not?" This time it was He Tang's turn not to be calm: "If Abahai is a place that is 'not defended', it must be an inconsequential place, and even if it is captured, it is useless? Not to mention what we saw just now, the four walls and gates of Jingzhou City are heavily defended, and I don't see any 'undefended' place in Abahai." "He Tang was only an auxiliary officer in the military department who surveyed and analyzed the enemy's situation, and he had never led soldiers to fight, so he did not study the military book deeply.

"Those who attack and must take will attack what they do not defend." For the meaning of this passage in Sun Tzu's Art of War, soldiers have always had different understandings, "When the attack must be taken, the place where the enemy is not defended" is the most straightforward interpretation of this passage, and not He Tang alone has such an understanding.

Reading and studying is important in understanding. It is also a ten-year cold window, some talents are high, and some talents are shallow, in addition to "diligence" (erudite and strong), the difference is still in "comprehension". Since the advent of "The Art of War", countless people have read through it, and not many people have truly understood its essence.

"My understanding is that the 'no' in the middle of not defending is 'impossible' rather than 'won't', and the place that the enemy does not defend is not because it is 'irrelevant', but because it is important but cannot be defended. I don't know if it's right to understand it this way?" Lu Wan said his opinion, as if he was discussing with Chen Wenqi.

"Yes. Not only is it "unable to defend" due to external conditions or its own capabilities, but it is also possible to "fail to defend" because the enemy loses its defensive ability. Qin Sen added.

Chen Wenqi slapped his palms and smiled: "The two generals are high-minded, and they agree in their hearts. The enemy's 'failure to defend' is naturally a weakness or omission in the enemy's defenses. ”

"Where is the enemy's defense weak or leaky?The enemy on the city wall is densely packed, and the city gate is also extremely strong, there must be a large number of soldiers waiting behind the city gate, and there is no weak or negligent defense above and below the city wall?" He Tang was puzzled.

"Since Abahai has mobilized all his forces around the city, the middle of the city is where the defenses are weak or leaky. Lu Wan said half seriously, half teasingly.

"The question is, how can we get to the middle of the city?" He Tang replied to Lu Wan. Both of them were originally walking in the military headquarters, they were familiar with each other, and their grades were not much different, so they spoke more bluntly.

"You can attack the city from the ground. Lu Wan said with a smile again.

"Cave siege? You can think of it, it's not proper, it's not proper. He Tang shook his hands continuously.

"Cave siege" is a commonly used siege method in ancient times, that is, digging tunnels from outside the city to the city, and the siege soldiers enter the city through the tunnels to destroy the enemy and occupy the city by surprise. However, mutual restraint is an eternal law, and once the "cave siege" tactic is often used, people have come up with a way to crack it. As a result, there is an additional branch in the army: "Earth Listening". After the war began, the "ground listening" of the defending side of the city was scattered everywhere, and they listened day and night to see if the enemy army was digging tunnels. Once the location is found and confirmed, the smoke is released into the tunnel or it is landfilled. Later, the appearance of moats further increased the difficulty of digging tunnels, and the "cave siege" was gradually abandoned by the soldiers. The moat of Jingzhou City is deep and wide, and it is extremely difficult to dig tunnels, and time waits for no one, so He Tang said so.

"It's just to amuse you, how can you really dig a tunnel? and listen to General Chen's plan. Lu Wan said with a smile.

"General Lu is right, but 'Cave Siege' should be changed to 'Cave Wall Siege'. Chen Wenqi said his thoughts at the right time.

"Well, good idea. The foot of the wall of Jingzhou City is exactly where Abahai 'does not defend'. Qin Sen immediately understood Chen Wenqi's intentions, and on the one hand he agreed, and on the other hand, he expressed his worries: "However, the wall foundation here is built with Helan stone, this kind of stone is fine, strong but not brittle, and it may be very difficult to excavate." ”

"There is a solution to this. Without waiting for everyone to ask, Chen Wenqi continued: "Just now I asked a few soldiers who used to be stonemasons to sum up, and the method of boiling water with fire can make the stone crack and easy to dig. ”

Everyone knew the purpose of Chen Wenqi's trip to the camp, and secretly praised him for always having foresight in case of trouble.

"Also, when the 'cave wall' is the enemy, the enemy will attack with arrows and stones and other objects, how can you try to protect it?" Lu Wan asked another question.

Chen Wenqi obviously had already taken a countermeasure, and he asked Lu Wan: "General Lu remembers the 'goose cart hole'?"

"'Goose cart hole'? Oh, how did I forget it?" Lu Wan heard this, and suddenly opened his mouth, and then blamed himself for why he didn't think of it.

The "goose car hole" in Chen Wenqi's mouth was called "the goose car hole" by the ancients. The spire of the car, the four wheels, the sides and the top are protected by wooden planks, covered with hard leather, and the car can accommodate more than 10 people. During the siege of the city, people can hide in the car to avoid the arrow and stone attacks on the city. In the first year of Jingkang in the Northern Song Dynasty, Wanyan Zongwang, the second son of Jin Taizu, led the army to attack Bianliang City, the capital of the Northern Song Dynasty. At the same time, he connected dozens of chariots together to form a "long hole"-like bunker, and called it "goose cart hole", in which people move freely and are not afraid of the attack of arrows and stones, which can be called a "siege weapon".

With the cover of the "goose cart hole", it is equivalent to installing a solid protective barrier for the soldiers who cut the wall.

He Tang Fang knew that the method of "attacking the city by the cave wall" was like this, but he said worriedly: "Even if we can chisel through the city wall, not to mention that the enemy smokes and roasts with poisonous smoke, even if a few people stand at the entrance of the cave, and come to the gate, wouldn't it be impossible to open it?"

Qin Sen, Chen Wenqi, and Lu Wan looked at each other and smiled, and Lu Wan explained: "The 'cave wall' is not for passing people, but for filling **, blowing up the city wall into a big gap, and our army will rush into the city through this gap." ”

"I see, it's a brilliant plan. He Tang suddenly realized, and even said that it was wonderful.

"General Chen, I think this siege plan is a last resort, and the following is how to unify the order. General Chen, how do you say to fight?" Lu Wan rubbed his hands, eager to launch an attack immediately.

Chen Wenqi looked at Qin Sen and said, "If you can't get enough of the troops, let's ask General Qin to give orders." ”

Qin Sen hurriedly shook his hand and said, "That's not good, General Chen is both a minister and a deputy envoy, so you should be able to dispatch troops." ”

"If General Qin is sympathetic, please don't shirk. Chen Wenqi said very earnestly.

"This ...... Well, I'll do it for you. It's getting late today, so how about inviting General Chen and General Lu to rest here, and tomorrow, how about inviting officers of all armies above 1,000 to the Central Military Tent to discuss matters?"

The two nodded in agreement, ordered their soldiers to return overnight, and ordered the officers above the thousand generals to come to the West Gate tomorrow to discuss matters.

Early the next morning, more than 1,000 officers of all the route armies gathered in the central military tent of the West Route Army to listen to Qin Sen's dispatch.

Qin Sen had previously consulted Chen Wenqi on his battle plan for the night, and after obtaining his consent, he began to deploy the siege:

"General He, in this 'cave wall siege', military supplies are the most important. I ordered you to select and transfer a thousand generals from the eastern, western, and southern route armies, and lead his subordinates to be responsible for the collection of **, wood, cowhides and other materials, limited to five days, is there a problem?"

"I will do my best. It's just that the Abahai has completely destroyed the forest, can the nearby temple be requisitioned and rebuilt by the imperial court after the war?"

Qin Sen didn't answer immediately, and turned his head to look at Chen Wenqi on the side.

Chen Wenqi thought for a while, nodded and said. "I think it's okay. However, when expropriating, it is necessary to know the righteousness, obtain the understanding and support of the monks, and do not forcibly requisition and demolish them, let alone beat and scold the monks. ”

"Yes. He Tang took the order. In order to seize the time, three thousand presidents were immediately selected and went out to prepare materials.

"The equipment required for the 'cave wall siege' is made by the armies themselves. General Zhou, General Wu, General Lu," Qin Sen called out the three thousand generals in the tent and said to them: "From today onwards, you will lead your subordinate soldiers to rush to make the 'stacked bridges' and 'goose cart caves' needed for the siege of this road army, and General He Tang will deliver iron, wood, leather and other materials one after another, don't worry." ”

"Yes. The three of them agreed in unison.

Qin Sen said to Chen Wenqi again: "General Chen, how to make the equipment required for the 'Cave Wall Siege' still needs your detailed guidance. ”

"This is natural. I finished the drawings last night, so I ask the generals to make them according to the dimensions. Chen Wenqi took out a stack of rice paper from his bosom and distributed it to Zhou, Wu, and Lu.

"General Peng, General Cao, General Chang," Qin Sen called out three thousand generals, and said: "The three of you are in the army, draw out 100 stonemasons and 100 carpenters before the army, prepare blades, crow's beaks, shovels, planks, etc., and once the siege equipment is completed, the wall will be chiseled and filled." As for where is the hole chiseled, how deep and how big?**How to load, how to grasp the timing of detonation......" Qin Sen paused, and also took out a few pieces of rice paper with drawings and essentials from his arms, and handed them to the three of them, "There are instructions on this, you just do it." ”

"Yes. ”

"The rest of the generals lead their men to recuperate, and once the siege equipment is made and the wall chisers are in action, you divide the soldiers into small groups and harass the defenders on the towers day and night to cover the wall. ”

"Yes. ”

After the generals left, Qin Sen, Chen Wenqi, and Lu Wan carefully figured out the details of the siege again. It was decided that Lu Wan would lead the soldiers and horses besieging the north gate to return to the east gate (leaving the north gate as "besieging the division must be que"), and agreed to launch an attack on the east, south and west sides at the same time with the sound of cannons at the south gate.

Half a month later, the siege equipment was made. Qin Sen and Lu Wan sent a horse to pass the message, and they only waited for a cannon to sound at the south gate before they could feign an attack on the city.

Outside the south gate, more than 100 zhang away from the city gate, two "tiger cannons" are aimed at the city tower, ready to attack; a short distance further on, three side vans of six zhang long and short are each set up with a "fire dragon car," and dozens of soldiers of the Shenji battalion are in full array, ready to load ammunition and fire at any time; the 2,000 infantry of the Shenji Battalion, armed with muskets, rockets, and firearms, are lined up on both sides of the "fire dragon car"; and the rest of the soldiers bend their bows and arrows and aim at the city tower.

Ai Xianyun, the "general officer" who was responsible for firing the "signal" cannon, stood beside Chen Wenqi, and just waited for him to give an order, and then ordered the fire to be fired.

Chen Wenqi rode over the human wall and shouted at the city tower: "The people in the city have listened, I am Chen Wenqi, the envoy of the Ming Dynasty, and I want to talk to General Abahai, the head of your ten thousand households." ”

After a small commotion on the city tower, but at the time of a cup of tea, Abahai, who was dressed in armor, appeared at the battlement and said loudly: "The surname is Chen, what do you say?"

Chen Wenqi pointed behind him and said, "The army of the Celestial Empire is approaching the city, I don't know how General Abahai feels?"

Abahai said disdainfully: "The soldiers will block, and the water will cover the earth, do you think that the general is afraid?"

"Jingzhou is already a lonely city, with less than 20,000 people, the general imagines that he can really block the thunderous blow of the Celestial Empire army?"

"The surname is Chen, you don't have to worry about this. If you let the horse come, it's hard to say who will kill the deer. ”

"The general is so fearless, he is waiting for reinforcements from Boyan Mengke and Hasen Erdun, right? But Boyan Monko has already died in battle, and Hasen Erdun has also committed suicide, so you should not be their hope. ”

Abahai was taken aback when he heard this, and then he forced himself to calm down, pursed his lips and said, "Hugh has to say more." If you have the ability, you will break through the city, and the old man will wait for you in the city. ”

"With the swords and soldiers, I don't know how many soldiers have died, doesn't the general care about their lives?"

"Chen Wenqi, don't cry there and fake mercy. Don't you think it's ridiculous that you came all the way to Ningxia, surrounded Jingzhou City with heavy troops, and took the lead in starting the war, but accused the old man of ignoring the lives of the soldiers?"

"Abahai, I thought you were just a villain who didn't keep your word, but you were still an unreasonable scoundrel. Isn't it a big joke that you raised troops to seize the territory of the Ming Dynasty first, broke the treaty and refused to hand over the Ningxia Sanwei later, and even bit back against the Celestial Dynasty for 'taking the lead in starting the war'?"

Abahai was annoyed and angry by Chen Wenqi's scolding, and immediately screamed: "Where is Wulihan?"

"Your Excellency. ”

"Aren't you the best at archery? Shoot down that yellow-mouthed child's head. ”

"Yes. ”

Wu Lihan stretched his bow and set up arrows, "whoosh", "whoosh", two arrows fired in succession, and went straight to Chen Wenqi's door and mount.

As early as in the capital to guard the school field, Chen Wenqi had dealt with Wu Lihan, and he also knew that his archery skills were good, so how could he not be guarded against at this time?

"Abahai, since you are obsessed, then don't blame the envoy for being ruthless. After saying that, he turned around the horse's head, retreated to the human wall, and said to Ai Xianyun: "Ignite the fire and open the cannon." ”

"Boom ......"

The deafening sound of cannons sounded in the south, east, and west directions of Jingzhou City one after another, and then the bullets were like meteors and arrows like locusts, and they all went to the city tower to greet them.

Amid the sound of gunfire, countless soldiers pushed siege equipment and quickly moved towards the city. In a short time, three "stacked bridges" of five feet and five widths were built side by side, and the wide and deep moat instantly became a thoroughfare. Under the city wall, twelve "cave cars" continue and connect as a whole. "Stacked Bridge" and "Goose Car Cave" Both sides and the top are protected by wooden planks, covered with hard raw cowhide, and the raw cowhide is wrapped with iron leaves, forming a "safe corridor" where arrows, stones, ash and fire can not enter, although the arrows and stones on the city tower are like rain, "Stacked Bridge" and "Goose Car Cave" are safe and sound.

No matter how the enemy attacked, he always stood still, only striking at the enemy with rolling stones, and did not go out of the city to meet the enemy; Qin Sen, Chen Wenqi, Lu Wan, and others here aimed at the "cave wall," and the so-called siege was only a feint and cover, and did not pose a threat to the enemy in the city. Therefore, it seems that the two sides have reached a "tacit understanding" and maintain this kind of "confrontation" without tension with each other.

The 200 soldiers, who were hiding under the "goose cart hole", divided into five groups and dug holes in the city walls day and night. Although the Helan stone is tough, it gradually cracks after repeated fire and water shock, and the stonemasons only need to use crow's beaks or shovels to cut it. When the excavation reaches a certain depth, the waiting carpenters wedge the stakes and support the walls of the cave with planks to prevent the mouth from collapsing.

After chiseling through the outer wall of the five-foot-thick stone, the rammed earth layer in the middle of the city wall is relatively much softer, and the speed of the "cave wall" is significantly improved, and on the sixth day, the "cave wall" project of the south gate is completed according to the requirements of the drawings, and the ** and fuse are loaded, except for the soldiers who ignited the fire, the rest of the "cave wall" soldiers are all evacuated and return to the south safety of the moat.

Soon, the scouts sent by Qin Sen and Lu Wan came to the south gate successively to inform them that the "cave walls" of the east and west gates were ready. Chen Wenqi was overjoyed and agreed that tomorrow Chou Zheng would light a fire to attack the city at the same time, and enter Jingzhou City to meet with Wanhu Mansion in Abahai.

The next day, the night was solemn. Due to the suspension of artillery siege, the four fields were silent, and the whispering of insects set off the autumn night extremely quietly, and at this time, it was the time when people slept the deepest.

However, the Ming soldiers who surrounded Jingzhou City were already stubborn and ready for battle at this time.

Ugly ......

A few dazzling white rays of lightning, like lightning, pierced the dark sky and pierced the silent earth, followed by several loud noises that were deafening.

Abahai, who was sleeping, was awakened by a loud noise, he turned over and sat up, and asked outside, "What sound?"

The guards outside reported: "There was a strong light, probably artillery fire. ”

"Artillery fire, find out quickly. Abahai hurriedly got out of bed and gave orders while getting dressed.

Without waiting for the guards to leave, there was a report from the Malays:

"The southern city wall was blown through by the Ming army. ”

"Report, the eastern wall was blown through by the Ming army. ”

"The western city wall was blown through by the Ming army. ”

As soon as Abahai heard this, he judged that the Ming army had begun to attack again, so he said to several spies:

"Quick, pass on my order, let Ulhan, Buzhigood, and Bortala organize people to block the entrance to the cave, and never let the Ming army attack the city. ”

Abahai didn't have time to wear armor and helmets, and came to the Yanwutang with his personal guards, and before he could take a breath, he heard a few loud noises of "booming ......", and in an instant, the flames soared to the sky, and the earth shook the mountains, only to see smoke and dust rising from the east, south, and west directions, swallowing up a touch of morning light that had just been spit out......