Jiuxi

Chapter 187 Chapter 186 [Scholar’s ​​Words]

The training methods of the Seven-Star Army are different from those of the Rui Shi Battalion.

Except for the hundreds of newcomers in the Ruishi Battalion, the rest are all elites in the Huaizhou Army. They do not need to start training from the most basic subjects. Lu Chen is mainly cultivating their sense of belonging, supplemented by complete and detailed training. Array drill.

The Seven-Star Army strengthens formation and command training, and at the same time takes some time every day to learn literacy. They are not required to be fluent in words, but only need to be able to read numbers and words in the simplest way.

Lu Chen would spend half a day training with him every day. After lunch, he and Lin Xi would travel to every corner of Baotai Mountain - not for romance, but to conduct field surveys in the shortest possible time to ensure a thorough understanding of the surrounding terrain. .

This place is different from the Shuangfeng Mountains to the west of Huaizhou. The latter is an inaccessible primitive dense forest. The mountains stretch continuously, forming a forbidden land that is difficult for humans to set foot on.

The Baotai Mountain System is a vast terrain composed of more than ten peaks, with mountains, rivers, and dense forests interlaced at intervals. To the south is Dongyang Road of the Yan Dynasty, to the west is Henan Road, and to the north can reach the lower reaches of the Jinghe River after passing through a swamp. Area, to the east is the vast sea.

The roads in the mountains are like spider webs or a labyrinth of twists and turns. If outsiders come in without a guide, it will be difficult to distinguish between east, west, north and south.

Most of the communication channels between the Seven Star Gang and the outside world are concentrated in the west. When the Yan Dynasty decided to start recruiting people, the Henan Road defenders had already begun to set up checkpoints on several major roads, but they still could not completely cut off the connection between the Seven Star Gang and the outside world. .

The main village is located at the southern foot of the main peak of Baotai Mountain, in a gourd-shaped valley. Even if the enemy can break through the southern gate, the gang can still retreat deep into the mountains through the secret passage to the east.

Of course, this is a last resort choice. After all, the deeper you go, the more difficult it will be to obtain food.If they are blocked into the mountains by the army, no one can guarantee how long these tens of thousands of people can sustain it.

There are four branch villages in the south of the main village, arranged in Zigzag shape, relying on the dangerous terrain to establish strongholds.

There are only three branch villages in the west, which are set up in sequence from east to west.

More than a month later, Lu Chen finally completed the on-site survey of the surrounding terrain, and then received an urgent order from Lin Jie.

He and Lin Xi rushed back to the main village, and when they walked into the meeting hall, a group of hall masters and several senior stewards were already sitting here, and the atmosphere seemed very solemn and solemn.

Lin Jie was recuperating in seclusion during this period, leaving all the affairs of the gang to Lu Chen and several hall leaders. Now that he appears in front of everyone again, it obviously means that something big is going to happen.

"Don't be too polite, just sit down."

Lin Jie raised his hand to stop Lu Chen and Lin Xi from greeting each other, then looked to the side and said, "Lianfu, please introduce the situation."

Qi Lianfu, the leader of the Yin Hall, bowed his head in greeting, and then said to Lu Chen: "Brother Lu, our brothers in Heluo City have obtained some information. After Chen Jingtang's death, the emperors and ministers of the Yan Dynasty were tired of appeasing all forces. We thought that the other party We cannot take care of this side in the short term, but recently we discovered that a Jing Dynasty army appeared outside Heluo City."

Lu Chen's eyes narrowed slightly: "What's the origin?"

Qi Lianfu said in a deep voice: "Jing Chao Qing Yugong's subordinates are what the world often calls the front army of the Xiashan Army. This army has about 3000 people. The general's name is Pu San Si'en. One of the young generals we focused on training in the year. Another thing is that Li Shouzhen, the general of Dongyang Road of the Yan Dynasty, has mobilized more than [-] people and is currently marching to Fengqiu City."

Fengqiu City is located in the north of Dongyang Road, only more than two hundred miles away from Baotai Mountain.

After Qi Lianfu said these words, the atmosphere in the hall was almost stagnant.

More than [-] Yan troops can already put a lot of pressure on these green forests and grasslands, not to mention the [-] old soldiers of Jing Dynasty.

Generally speaking, the Jing Dynasty would not use the [-] troops they deployed in Heluo City. Even when the Yan Army on the southern front suffered successive defeats last year, these Jing Dynasty troops still stood still.They have only one responsibility, and that is to firmly control Heluo City, thus forming constraints and control over the Yan Dynasty.

Now Qing Yugong sent the most elite Xia Shan army under his command to go south, and his purpose was self-evident.

Everyone couldn't help but look at Lu Chen, hoping to hear from him the conclusion that the enemy was vulnerable.

Lu Chen asked calmly: "May I ask Brother Qi if you have any specific information about this servant San Si'en?"

Qi Lianfu replied: "He is a Jinglian noble. He is 26 years old this year. He was called into the Xiashan Army about ten years ago. He served as a soldier beside Qing Yugong for one or two years, and then he started as an infantryman at the bottom. From then on, he rose to the rank of commander of the former army step by step. It is said that he led troops to quell the rebellion in Zhao State in the past two years. He was arrogant and confident, and possessed excellent martial arts skills."

This answer was obviously not detailed enough, but Lu Chen knew that he could not demand more.

Although Yintang specializes in intelligence spying, it is only a small branch of the Seven Stars Gang. It cannot compare with the Weaving Department in terms of number of people and level of expertise.

Lin Jie looked at Lu Chen and asked, "What do you think?"

Lu Shensi thought for a moment and then said: "It is inevitable that the enemy will use troops, but we should still have a month or two to prepare."

The Seven-Star Army is now becoming more and more impressive, but whether they can defeat the menacing Yan Dynasty army and Jing Dynasty veterans, most people present are not sure.

"Gang Leader, there is no need to worry, the students think this battle will be won!"

A calm voice sounded.Lu Chen looked up and saw a scribe in his forties with a look of determination on his face.

This man's name was Shi Haisheng, a failed scholar on Henan Road in the Yan Dynasty. Ten years ago, he took the initiative to defect to the Seven Star Gang with his family and his family. He was usually responsible for advising Lin Jie and often regarded himself as wise and courageous.

Next to him were two men with similar looks, both of whom were down-and-out literati whom Lin Jie had found before.

Before Lu Chen's arrival, these people had the right to make suggestions on the affairs of the gang. Although Lin Jie might not listen, he would at least give them the right to speak. This is also the most basic respect.

However, since Lu Chen appeared, these counselors have no use. They can only watch this young man from Southern Qi monopolize power. Although he feels extremely sad, but after seeing the eldest lady's obedient attitude towards Lu Chen, , they didn’t even dare to say a sour word.

Lin Jie had a clear mind about their thoughts, but he only thought about the friendship over the past many years. In addition, Shi Haisheng and others had no merit but hard work, so he did not deliberately control them. They were allowed to attend today's occasion.

At this moment, hearing Shi Haisheng's confident words, Lin Jie asked, "Brother Shi, what good ideas do you have?"

Shi Haisheng was overjoyed and said more calmly: "Gang leader, we have four branch villages in the south and three branch villages in the west. They are all pass places selected by the students based on the difficult terrain. The terrain in the mountains is complex, and the Yan army cannot carry too many troops. There are so many siege equipment that we can only rely on manpower to forcibly advance. Therefore, the students believe that if we can hold on to the pass, the Yan army will inevitably return in defeat!"

The other two literati hurriedly echoed, and they all spoke eloquently and eloquently.

These green forest heroes in the hall are naturally good at killing people and selling goods, but none of them have experienced a real war.

They listened to Shi Haisheng and others talking eloquently and citing a lot of information, and from time to time they would throw out a bunch of obscure words from books, and they were inevitably frightened for a while.

Furthermore, in the simple concept of most people, war is about soldiers coming to cover up water and earth. Since the Yan army plans to enter the mountains and use troops, it is reasonable to rely on the passes built over the years for defense. Otherwise, there is no point in building those villages. significance?
Shi Haisheng did not get carried away. He turned to look at Lu Shen and said, "I heard that Lu Gongfeng has recently visited the surrounding villages. I wonder if the method of setting up villages below can be of your opinion?"

Lu Chen said calmly: "The stronghold built by Senior Shi is well-equipped and well-organized, implying the art of war, which is indeed remarkable."

Shi Haisheng's face was filled with joy, and he suddenly felt that this young man was pleasing to his eyes, so he continued to ask: "In Lu Gongfeng's opinion, is my strategy against the enemy appropriate?"

Everyone looked at Lu Chen curiously, and then heard him say: "Very appropriate."

Shi Haisheng couldn't help but smile.

Lin Xi looked slightly puzzled. Could it be that these gentlemen who were accustomed to being surrounded by clouds and mountains really knew the art of war?
The next moment Lu Chen said again: "It's just...a little naive."

The smile on Shi Haisheng's face froze and he frowned: "What does Lu Zongfeng mean?"

Lu Chen looked around everyone, and finally stopped at Shi Haisheng's face, and said bluntly: "Senior Shi, defending the city is a technical job. The requirements for soldiers are very high, and no obvious mistakes are allowed. If you go by what you said, we can rely on peripheral analysis. The village is defending step by step. Once a gap is opened by the enemy, it will definitely lead to a large-scale rout. By then the two armies will be intertwined, and we will not have time to retreat even if we want to."

Shi Haisheng said unconvinced: "I heard that Lu Gongfeng defeated tens of thousands of enemy troops in Guangling City last year with 4000 men, including more than 1 veterans of the Jing Dynasty. As far as Shi knew, the Guangling defenders had not experienced this before. After passing through the battle formation, are we, the good men of the Seven Star Gang, inferior to the Guangling Army?"

Lin Jie frowned slightly and said, "Brother Shi, don't lie."

He was worried that Lu Chen was young and energetic, and his unscrupulous words would have a bad impact.

Lu Chen smiled slightly and signaled to Lin Jie that it was okay, then looked at Shi Haisheng and said: "Guangling is located in the heart of Huaizhou. Although there were only four thousand defenders at the time, there were millions of Huaizhou people behind him, and new ones could be formed continuously. Combat strength, but do we, the Seven Star Gang, have enough backup force?"

Shi Haisheng choked.

Lu Chen looked at the others and said calmly: "We now have more than [-] people. If we let them defend each branch, one person killed will be one less person, and there will be no way to replenish the force. The enemy is different. The Yan army has more than [-] people. Well, Jingchao's three thousand old soldiers, even if they all die in the mountains, they can continue to mobilize the army. If we go head-to-head with the opponent, even if our men can exchange one for two and one for three, the enemy general will definitely be overjoyed. "

"When all our people are killed in the battle, who can stop the Yan army from entering the mountains and raiding the mountains? Should they rely on the old, weak, women and children in the mountains?"

Lu Chen's tone gradually became serious, and everyone nodded.

Shi Haisheng and others' faces turned red. Although they were still a little dissatisfied, they could not refute this simplest truth in the face of Lu Chen's straightforward words.

There are only so many people in the Seven Star Gang, and there is no way to conjure more men of the right age out of thin air.

Upon seeing this, Lin Jie asked Lu Chen: "In your opinion, how should we respond?"

Lu Chen looked calm and calmly determined the tone of this battle: "It's very simple. We need to avoid facing the enemy head-on, pull them into the mountains, use the terrain to carry out small-scale harassment, and at the same time attack their logistics and equipment, and consume their lives. Kill them."

"Unless that Princess Jingchao can send a million troops to fill the entire valley, this will be their burial place!"

(End of this chapter)