Daming: Stealing Chen Yuanyuan at the beginning

Chapter 150

The Ming army set off from Maitreya City and headed south all the way.Because Sha Dingzhou and Wan Cailian had led their troops to escape to Ergelong, the Ming army easily conquered Ami Prefecture and Mengzi one after another.

In mid-January, 15 Ming soldiers came to Gelong.The army suppressed the situation and surrounded it tightly.

Ergelong, in today's Wenshan territory.The Shadingzhou family has been the king's chieftain for generations, and the chieftain is often cunning.The Sha clan fell in love with the dangerous Ergelong, and after decades of operation, this place has become an impregnable fortress.

After setting up camp, Li Cunming summoned Qi Dazhuang and a group of generals in the tent of the Chinese army, and asked, "How many troops are there in Sha Dingzhou?"

Qi Dazhuang replied: "The rebels in Shadingzhou have fought against my army several times, and they have lost a lot. He has fought and counted. He still has 5 horses in his hand, which is considered good. It's just that Ergelong is easy to defend and difficult to attack, and the weather is bad. Our army has come from a long way, lost the right time and place, I'm afraid it will take some trouble."

Li Cunming smiled and said: "Shadingzhou only has 5 horses, and our army has 15 people, three times the enemy. Since moving south, I have never fought such a rich battle. It is so enjoyable! Come, follow me out of the camp. Explore the terrain."

Walking out of the gate of the camp, Li Cunming drove his horse and galloped to the foot of Ergelong Mountain under the guard of a team of [-] Modao and [-] musketeers.

Looking up, I can see that Ergelong is a lofty and precipitous stone mountain. There are few vegetation on the mountain, and the eyes are full of bare rocks.

Snowflakes are piled up on the rocks, the white caps are shiny and shiny, and the Ergelong is like a silver carving made of jade, which is even more extraordinary.

The mountain peak is hidden in the clouds and mist, the road up the mountain is tortuous and bumpy, and the enemy has built fortifications in dangerous places.These fortifications are all stone fortresses, with dragons and tigers occupying them, and they are strictly guarded against death.

"What a dangerous place!" Li Cunming sighed, looking towards the mountain with all his strength, and asked, "The nests of Shadingzhou and Wancailian are on the top, right?"

Qi Dazhuang said: "Shadingzhou and Wancailian were determined to resist. They moved all the grain from Amisu and Mengzi to the mountains, and took away a lot of gold and silver treasures. They want to fight us for a long time."

"Your Majesty, if it's summer and the water source is cut off, the enemy will not be able to hold on for ten days and a half months. But now that it snows heavily in the twelfth lunar month of winter, the enemy army does not have to worry about the water source. It is really difficult."

Qi Dazhuang has led the army for many days and has grown into an excellent general.He saw the fate of Er Gelong, which was the lack of water on the mountain.

It is indeed a good way to cut off the water source and force the enemy to surrender.

In history, Li Dingguo used this method to attack Ergelong, but Li Dingguo attacked Ergelong in Xiaqiu, which was very different from the situation of the Ming army at this time.

Li Cunming tightened the cloak on his body, reached out to catch a few snowflakes, and said with a smile: "Snow also has its benefits. We can't die of thirst for the rebels, so let's freeze them to death!"

"Oh, that's right, your Majesty's brain is quicker! Ergelong is a bare stone mountain, not only short of water, but also short of firewood. The enemy can boil snow to quench their thirst, but they can't use stones as fuel, right? Our army Surround Er Gelong for a period of time, and the fuel prepared by the enemy will be exhausted, and they will be frozen!"

Qi Dazhuang rejoiced and had already seen the dawn of victory.

"Then let's do it this way. When Sha Dingzhou and Wan Cailian are frozen into dogs, we will play by ear!" Li Cunming said.

At the same time, he ordered the soldiers in the army to cut down trees everywhere and use the coal transported from Liupanshui to make briquettes to solve the heating problem in the army.

……

In a huge cave on the peak of Ergelong Mountain, the lights are brilliant.The cave is furnished luxuriously and warmly.

It was originally a natural cave, but it has been expanded several times through the construction of Wang Nong chieftains in successive dynasties, and the hall and many rooms are separated, just like an underground mansion.

Sha Dingzhou got up from the bed, yawned a long time, and while putting on his clothes, he turned his head and said, "My lady, the Ming army has surrounded Ergelong, we are cornered, we should think of a safe solution, right? "

Wan Cailian lazily turned over, lying on her side like a kitten, with her jade feet exposed outside the brocade quilt.Her face was full of spring, and she was still immersed in it just now.

"We have enough food and grass, and occupy a favorable position. If the Ming army wants to encircle them, let them encircle them. Let's see how long they can last? Hmph, isn't Chongzhen afraid of freezing to death in this kind of horrible weather?" Don't worry about it.

She sneered: "Sha Lang, you are good at everything, you are white, and you are very brave in bed, but sometimes you are too timid and cautious, not like a master chieftain with a heavy soldier in his hand!"

Sha Dingzhou said: "I am not timid, but the more things I have, the more I am afraid of losing them. With our strength, it is not a problem to become the king and hegemony in Yunnan, but to be an enemy of the imperial court, I really have no idea."

Wan Cailian crawled up, revealing her snow-white skin, and said disdainfully: "What's so great about Chongzhen? His ass is full of shit! Not to mention, the Qing soldiers were in the land of Sichuan, and the Ming army went deep into the hinterland of Yunnan alone. I have worries about the future. Just wait, we have survived the winter, and when the Qing army moves after the beginning of spring, everything will be fine."

"Hey, can we hold on until spring?" Sha Dingzhou thought so, but did not dare to say it. He left the cave with worries and went to inspect various fortresses.

After visiting many places, the soldiers reported that there was enough food, but there was less and less firewood for heating, and many people fell ill with cold.

All the fortresses are built on high mountains, the cold wind blows violently, and the stone houses are extremely ineffective in keeping warm.In order to keep warm, the firepit in the fortress was kept on fire day and night, but even so, the soldiers still felt cold to the bones and could not sleep peacefully at night.

Many had chilblains on their hands, their fingers were so red and swollen that they could no longer hold weapons.

Later, the firewood was almost exhausted, and the daily quota could only be distributed.In order to rob firewood, the soldiers caused several incidents.

And in the Ming army barracks at the foot of the mountain, you can always see the smoke drifting and hear the laughter of the soldiers.There is also a strong smell of hot pot, with the mountain wind, it gets into the noses of the soldiers of the chieftain army.

Sha Dingzhou realized the seriousness of the situation, and said to Wan Cailian: "If we continue to consume like this, without the Ming army attacking, the soldiers will freeze to death. We have to solve the fuel problem, otherwise disaster will be imminent!"

Wancailian lost her previous composure, and asked: "There are mostly rocky mountains in the Ergelong area. Although the Ming army could cut down trees for warmth, they couldn't withstand 15 people cutting down and burning them every day. What did Chongzhen use?" How to keep the soldiers warm?"

Sha Dingzhou said: "I sent spies to investigate. It turns out that the Ming army made a lot of briquettes called briquettes. This kind of briquettes are resistant to burning and easy to make, so the Ming army has no fear."

"What's even more exasperating is that I heard that Chongzhen was drinking and having fun in the military tent every day, and even asked Chen Yuanyuan to sing and dance. He didn't come to fight, he was clearly here to have fun, and he was clearly here to annoy us!"

"Oh, what a Chongzhen, you are too deceitful! There is a poem that says that the first half of a soldier army lives and dies, and the beauties still sing and dance under the tent. It is our soldiers who died, and the beauties of Chongzhen danced. It is so annoying!" Wan Cai Lian scolded.

Then he paced back and forth, raised his eyebrows after a while and said, "Sha Lang, we sent people down the mountain to grab some briquettes from the Ming army barracks, what do you think?"

Sha Dingzhou said: "I'm afraid the casualties will be huge..."

"Oh, what time is it, you are still afraid of wolves and tigers! Are you going to wait for the soldiers to mutiny, or give it a go?" Wan Cailian's face was gloomy.

Sha Dingzhou thought for a moment, then gritted his teeth and said, "That's the only way to go, but be careful, we have to make a careful plan, not only to grab the briquettes, but also to minimize casualties."

Wan Cailian poked Sha Dingzhou's forehead with her finger, and said with a coquettish smile: "You, you are destined to be just a little boy who eats soft food. My old lady has already made up her mind, let's see my method."

(End of this chapter)