PNB Chapter 123: Expanding territory.
Chapter 123: Expanding territory.
Wang Meng said, "Our Fourth Young Master said that Biao Lu knew that the Fourth Young Master had just taken over Tianmen County and was not yet firmly established, so he took the risk of attacking and trying to win the battle."
Ye Kun nodded and asked for details.
After hearing the details of the military situation, Ye Kun laughed out loud: "Old thief Lu, your death is near!"
Wang Meng was delighted when he heard this and asked, "Master Ye, do you have a plan to defeat the enemy?"
Ye Kun nodded: "Go back and tell the Fourth Young Master to defend Tianmen City to the death. Within ten days, I will defeat Kong Dun's army. At that time, attacking Lu Biao together will be as easy as taking something out of a bag. Also, let the Fourth Young Master be prepared. When Lu Biao's army is defeated, we will take advantage of the victory to enter Changsha County!"
"Ah, can we break into Changsha County?" Wang Meng was surprised and happy, but he couldn't believe it.
"If I say yes, then I can."
Ye Kun was confident: "Lu Biao has a total of 50,000 soldiers and horses. If we send out more than 30,000 troops to fight, there will be more than 30,000 civilians to transport food and supplies. The city is already empty. After the defeat of Lu Biao, they will definitely retreat from Shuangya Mountain. We will ambush a special force and inflict heavy damage. The next siege will be easy."
Wang Meng was greatly encouraged: "Okay, I will report back to the Fourth Young Master right away!"
"Wait, this is a telescope. I'll give you one."
Ye Kun took out his latest telescope, gave one to Wang Meng and one to Yan Liuhai, and instructed:
"A telescope can bring the enemy's movements right under your eyes, just like observing the lines on your palm. For a general, it is like adding wings to a tiger, and can help you win a battle thousands of miles away. You must keep it safe. If you lose it to the enemy, you can commit suicide to apologize."
Wang Meng and Yan Liuhai laughed and said, "Even if our heads fell off, we would never lose our telescopes!"
Ye Kun nodded, and then reminded Yan Liuhai:
"Lu Biao will definitely cut off the connection between Xiping Mountain and Tianmen City when he comes. You should act according to the situation. If a small force of the enemy attacks, you should take the initiative to attack. If a large force attacks, you should feign defeat and lure the enemy to Xiping Mountain, where you can use the advantage of the terrain to annihilate them."
Yan Liuhai clasped his fists and said, "Don't worry, big brother. I will never let you down!"
"I will send you more troops to help you defend."
Ye Kun nodded and returned to Pingye County to formulate a plan to defeat the enemy.
At the south and east gates of Pingye County, Kong Dun's troops were building siege vehicles and shield vehicles.
Most of the materials should have been sent from Changsha County and assembled here.
Ye Kun can get a rough idea through the telescope.
If I guessed correctly, Kong Dun attacked the South Gate and the East Gate respectively, and arranged a shield cart and two siege vehicles for each gate.
Siege vehicle, also known as ladder.
But the so-called ladder is not the bamboo ladder in ancient war TV dramas, but a movable battle fortress.
Above the ladder is a long platform that can accommodate two rows of soldiers running on it.
The shield car can be called an ancient human tank.
A large movable box was made with huge logs as wheels. The front and top were covered with iron armor and cowhide, which could withstand strong crossbows and catapults. Thirty or forty soldiers could hide in the wooden box, pushing the box to the city gate and then using the huge logs to knock it down.
A large pointed iron spike is installed at the front end of the giant tree, which can destroy the city gate by repeatedly hitting it.
Ye Kun held up the telescope and looked for a long time, then said with a smile:
"Brother Lu has really invested a lot of money this time. Just the shield car and siege car, the cost of each one is probably more than a thousand taels of silver. We can't afford such advanced stuff."
Qin Erwu said: "Brother, the enemy's siege vehicles and shield vehicles are not built yet, we should go down and charge for a while. Otherwise, if the enemy builds the siege equipment, we will be in a passive position!"
“You are not allowed to leave the city.”
Ye Kun waved his hand: "When they launch an attack, we will kill them on the top of the city. It will be foolproof."
"But what should we do if they break down the city gate?"
"If you break the city gate, I won't need it anymore." Ye Kun smiled and told the armory manager:
“Fifty huge logs should be taken from each of the east and south gates, tied into wooden frames, and placed behind the city gates to seal the door openings. Then, three hundred sacks of earth should be put into sacks to fill the space between the wooden frames. This way, even if the enemy breaks down the city gates, they will still be blocked by the wooden frames and sacks of earth and will not be able to enter the city.”
Qin Erwu frowned: "What should we do if the other party attacks with fire?"
"Fire attack, can you burn all my tens of thousands of pounds of soil? He uses fire, but I can't put out the fire with water? No need to say more, just follow my instructions, this is a military order! Now, follow me to the craftsman's workshop to see my latest weapon."
Ye Kun rolled his eyes and went downstairs to the craftsman's workshop.
Qin Erwu and others followed.
Black gunpowder made of one sulfur, two nitrate and three charcoal had been developed long ago.
The existing materials can be used to make 5,000 kilograms of black gunpowder, and the quality should be good because the saltpeter and sulfur were purified under the personal guidance of Ye Kun.
Now, we need to test the ratio and specific power.
The gunpowder factory was a separate one, located in a remote large courtyard in the northeast corner of the county town, and was strictly guarded by soldiers on all sides.
Moreover, all materials are stored separately to prevent explosion.
Black powder is used in muskets, cannons and explosives, in different proportions.
Ye Kun had served in the reserve before, and he remembered the specific ratios. For grenade explosions, the best ratio of saltpeter, sulfur, and charcoal was 75:12:13.
According to this ratio, Ye Kun prepared two small cans, each containing less than one kilogram of medicine.
Without cotton as the fuse, wool fibers could only be used instead, and gunpowder was wrapped inside and twisted into a rope. Wool is easy to burn, and with gunpowder, there is no problem.
Leading everyone to the outside of the west gate, Ye Kun asked his personal soldiers to dig two small pits, bury the jars in them, and then add a pile of rubble on top.
Then he covered the ground with hay and ordered everyone to step back fifty steps, lie down on the spot, and prepare to use rockets to start a fire.
Tan Bamao smiled and asked, "Godfather, why are you so careful and why do you want us to lie down?"
"If you don't lie down, that little jar will explode, and rocks will fly over and make your head explode!"
"No way, is it that powerful?" Tan Bamao muttered.
"Fire the rockets and set them on fire!"
Ye Kun waved.
The guards lit rockets and shot them at the hay.
When the hay was ignited, Ye Kun immediately shrank his head and hid behind a big rock.
Boom, boom——!
There were two explosions and smoke rose into the sky.
The rubble piled on top of the explosives was also blown away.
A piece of gravel hit Tan Bamao's helmet, scaring him so much that he screamed and almost wet his pants.
Ye Kun stood up, shook off the dirt on his body, and sneered, "How is it, Ba Mao, how powerful is the thing your godfather made?"
Tan Bamao was so frightened that he fainted. He shook his head and forgot to speak.
Qin Erwu went forward to check, and saw that the small pit on the ground had been blown up to an area of three feet in radius and more than one foot deep.
Huangfu Lin, the general of Shangguan Jifu's training corps, also came forward to check it out and asked, "Master Ye, what can this thing be used for?"
Ye Kun took a deep breath and said, "It can change the world. It can make you all become great generals who can dominate the world and expand your territory."
Huangfu Lin was shocked and speechless.
Ye Kun smiled and said, "This small can just now has such great power. If we get a big barrel, we can blow up the enemy's city gate. If we have 10,000 barrels, we can blow up a city."
Qin Erwu grinned and said, "Brother, what are you waiting for? Give me a barrel and I'll blow up that grandson of Kong Dun!"
"Erwu, can you carry the gunpowder barrel and blow Kong Dun to death?"
Ye Kun was speechless.
This traitor is very fierce in fighting, but his brain is not very good.