Late Yuan Dynasty: I am the true emperor

Chapter 178 Sharp-Angled Gun Platform
Lu Jin said that Feng Guoyong had underestimated the military strength, which immediately stunned Feng Guoyong. He thought hard but couldn't figure out what he had underestimated.

Given the current situation of the Shengwu Army, it has almost reached its limit in terms of conscription within its jurisdiction. If it cannot open up new land and occupy new counties, it will be almost impossible to continue to expand the army. So what else has he missed? Could Lu Jin still force conscription?

Feng Guoyong looked at Lu Jin in confusion, only to see Lu Jin stretched out his finger and tapped the battle plan on the table, "First, this is the battle plan in front of us. Liao Yongan has already written down the post-war deployment."

Feng Guoyong suddenly realized that what Lu Jin meant was that Liao Yongan suggested expanding another regiment after the war to occupy three new counties. Moreover, there have been few major disasters in Anqing Road in recent years, and floods and droughts are caused by people, so there is enough population and land. In addition, this battle will surely capture some prisoners, and by reorganizing the prisoners and recruiting some new soldiers, with the human resources of the three counties, it is indeed not a problem to expand another regiment.

But even if we could form a new regiment, it probably wouldn't be enough and would be of no help.

So Feng Guoyong still frowned and said.

"Marshal, even if we can expand the southern front by one regiment, Anqing is located in a strategic location. The 101st Division on the southern front has people. It would be great if they can defend this strategic location alone. How can we withdraw troops to follow you across the river?"

At this time, Lu Jin stood up, walked around the room twice, and suddenly said.

"Sun Tzu said: The terrain is the aid of the army. To estimate the enemy's strength and win the battle, and to calculate the distance and danger of the pass, is the way of a general!
"A strong pass can defeat a hundred thousand strong troops. Sir, you also know that Anqing is located at the east-west crossroads and controls the throat of the Yangtze River. In such a dangerous place, why not make full use of the terrain and build a few 'hundred thousand strong troops' there?"

bang-

Upon hearing this, Feng Guoyong also stood up and accidentally knocked over a chair. He immediately said.

"General, you want to replace soldiers with passes? Although Anqing is located at the crossroads of the east and west, the area is flat and there is no place to build a strong pass or dangerous pass! But if you build a city on flat ground, the city will also need soldiers to be stationed, which is probably useless.

"The reason why Anqing is so important is that the key lies in Anqing City. If there are fewer troops stationed there, it may be difficult to defend it even if a large number of enemy troops attack."

Lu Jin shook his head and retorted, "Who said we should build a city? We can build a fort. We don't need too many people. A fort can hold a thousand people, and a battalion is enough. Build three or four forts to support each other. In this way, we only need the strength of a regiment to control the entire mountain plain area.

"We can place two more regiments in Anqing City as mobile corps to provide mobile support between several forts. We only need three regiments with 15,000 people to control the entire southern line. In this way, we can extract at least two main regiments from the southern line to fight across the river."

Feng Guoyong was stunned when he heard this, thinking that Lu Jin had gone insane. What kind of fort could be defended by a thousand people? They even built three or four of them to support each other. With such a small number of troops, and they were arranged in a scattered manner, they were definitely not just laying it out to be eaten by the enemy.
He hesitated for a moment, but could not help but remind him, "General, there is no city or pass that cannot be attacked, let alone a fort with such a small number of soldiers. I think that the fort is used to delay the enemy's advance. No matter how strong the fort is, it will fall sooner or later under the siege of the enemy. I am afraid this move is not appropriate."

This time, Lu Jin agreed, "Yes, it is used to delay the enemy. How long do you think a fortress with 800 to 900 soldiers can hold out against 20,000 enemy troops?"

Feng Guoyong almost fainted after hearing this. Eight or nine hundred people resisted 20,000?! You thought you were guarding Jianmen Pass? That was a fortress on flat ground, and you resisted 20,000 troops.
But since Lu Jin had asked, he had no choice but to answer, so he perfunctorily said, "If it is a solid fort, covered with bricks and stones, and the defenders are extremely tenacious, it should be able to hold out for a month, right?"

"No, if there are enough food and supplies, I think we can hold out for more than half a year, or even one or two years." Lu Jin suddenly replied.

"Marshal!!!"

When Feng Guoyong heard this, he couldn't help it and wanted to explode on the spot.

However, before he could explode, Lu Jin waved his hand and interrupted the second half of his words.

"Come on, sir, don't be impatient. I know what you are going to say, but just because something couldn't be done before doesn't mean it can't be done now. Let's not talk about the distant past. Let's talk about the former Song Dynasty. Did they have weapons that could launch iron bullets into the enemy group three miles away and explode them? No, right? But now we have it!

"For thousands of years, warfare and tactics have been evolving based on changes in weapons and technology, and human thinking cannot remain static.

"I have recently researched a new type of fortress based on the application of muskets and artillery. It is called a bastion, also known as a sharp-angled gun platform. It is indeed possible for the defenders to use muskets and artillery as weapons and to stop tens of thousands of troops with very few troops. You haven't seen it yet, right? Come with me and I will explain it to you."

Feng Guoyong: “.”

Without further ado, Lu Jin dragged Feng Guoyong to the second courtyard of the Marshal's Mansion and into a side room.

Feng Guoyong was also speechless. He admitted that Lu Jin was indeed good at inventing new weapons, especially muskets and cannons. The power of cannons was indeed amazing. There was probably no one in the world who was better at using firearms than him. Lu Jin was the best at using firearms in the world. However, he only needed a few hundred people, occupied the fort, and relied on muskets and cannons to resist an army of 20,000 for half a year to two years. He still felt that this was too outrageous.

But seeing that Lu Jin seemed confident, I might as well go over and take a look.

As a result, he was pulled into the house by Lu Jin, and he immediately saw a sand table in the middle of the house, with a strange-shaped "fort" made of mud in the middle of the sand table.

Why is it said to be strange in shape? Because this thing is completely different from the common fortress. It seems to be something counterintuitive. A normal fortress is either square or round, and must have high walls or platforms to resist the enemy's attack.

But the fort in front of him was neither square nor round, but like a hedgehog, with many sharp angles extending out from its four sides and eight branches. Outside these sharp angles were trenches and moats. Outside the trenches were low walls, and outside the low walls were sharp angles again. There was even a bridge on top connecting it to the inner fort.

The most outrageous thing is that this fort doesn't look high at all, and there is a slope built on the outside, as if it was specially designed to make it convenient for the enemy to run up along the slope. You don't even have a high wall, and you have so many slopes, can you stop the enemy?
This is what Feng Guoyong thinks is the most counterintuitive thing. Without high walls, how can we defend against the enemy?

"Marshal, can this thing really stop people? If such a long slope is built, won't the enemy just rush up along the slope? We won't even have to set up ladders to climb the city wall." Feng Guoyong looked at the strange-looking thing in front of him, hesitated for a moment, the corner of his mouth twitched, but he couldn't help but speak.

"Haha, don't you understand?"

Lu Jin was not angry when he heard this. He immediately took out a clay city model from the side, placed it next to the sand table and asked.

"Look, these four walls, each with a gate, a moat outside, and a drawbridge, would make this a normal city, right?"

Feng Guoyong nodded, not quite understanding what Lu Jin meant, so he didn't say anything, wanting to see what Lu Jin could say.

Then he heard Lu Jin speak again. "But such a city has a weakness, which was discovered in the Spring and Autumn Period before the Qin Dynasty. That is, when the enemy army climbs the city wall, the defenders on the top of the city wall cannot shoot arrows at the enemy army climbing up from the side. It has a blind spot for shooting. You can't shoot the enemy army if you stand on the top of the city wall. If you stick half of your body out to shoot arrows, you are likely to be shot by the enemy archers under the city wall.

"So Mozi of Song invented the horse mask. All you need to do is build a horse mask outside the city wall and then you can shoot the enemy from the side. Is that right?"

"That's right." Feng Guoyong nodded immediately. He knew the role of the Horse-Faced Guard.

"Later, the city underwent a series of improvements by our ancestors, and defensive facilities such as 瓮城 and arrow towers were added, so it evolved into what it is today, right?" Lu Jin said, picking up a palm-sized city model from the side and asked.

"Yes, but the Marshal is this bastion."

"Don't be impatient. Listen to me. Mozi built the battlements outside the city wall to solve the problem of blind spots, so that the defenders can shoot at the enemy from the side. This bastion is a new type of fortress that takes the problem of 'blind spots' to the extreme. It can be said that it has no blind spots. No matter where the enemy is, they can be shot at from multiple angles by the defenders. It's hard to survive. If you don't believe me, come and try to attack it."

Feng Guoyong frowned when he heard this and looked at the strange-shaped bastion. It seemed, as if, it had some interest, so he walked around the sand table twice and suddenly pointed at a sharp slope and said, "How do I climb the city from here?"

"If you climb along one side, then this side will be within the defenders' shooting range. There are muskets nearby and cannons far away. No matter how many come, they will be killed. If you attack along the sharp-angle front line, the defenders on both sides will be able to see you, and you will be even less likely to survive." Lu Jin immediately explained as a defender.

"Eh? That seems interesting. Then I'll go from this side. No, the guards can see me from here."

Feng Guoyong became interested upon hearing this, and immediately circled around the bastion. He found that there seemed to be no blind spots for attacking, and no matter which direction he went, he would be attacked by the defenders.

So he looked at the model of the regular city next to him. If it was a straight high wall, as long as he got close enough, he could avoid the shooting of the defenders on the wall. But this bastion would not be like that, because it had no walls, and naturally there were no blind spots for shooting. Any place you could think of to hide was occupied by the protruding sharp slope.
Feng Guoyong figured out the purpose of those slopes in an instant. Love is meant to leave people with nowhere to hide.

"How about it, do you understand?" Lu Jin asked with a smile as he stood aside.

"It is indeed difficult to conquer, but what if the enemy forces rush in regardless of casualties?" Feng Guoyong asked again.

"It depends on whether he has more lives or I have more ammunition. Do you think that with shrapnel and grenades, the enemy will stop attacking only after several thousand deaths in front of this slope? If the troops are kept stationed outside the city and there are heavy casualties, do you think the enemy will not mutiny? Everyone's life is important. With thousands of casualties in front of a small fort, who dares to continue advancing?" Lu Jin said viciously.

Feng Guoyong thought about the scene and it seemed to be true. It has always been a taboo in military strategists to station troops in a fortified city and fail to capture it after a long siege, resulting in heavy casualties. If you encounter such a city and are not absolutely sure of conquering it, it is better to withdraw troops early.

But he still asked, "What if the enemy is besieging us?"

"Then let the enemy surround us. Didn't you just say, sir, that Dunbao Pass is used to delay the enemy's attack. When the enemy's food and supplies are exhausted, they will naturally retreat.

“There is only one battalion stationed in my fort. The food stored there is enough for the garrison to eat for a year. If we dig a few wells inside, there will be no shortage of water. If the enemy wants to besiege the city, we can just wait and see who can outlast the other.

“As the saying goes, if there are ten of them, then surround them. If the enemy has fewer troops, then it will be difficult to conquer. If they have more troops and want to besiege the city, even if it is a matter of attrition, I can wear down the enemy.

"Besides, given the current situation, who can last half a year with us? Who dares to last half a year with us? I can't think of anyone who has the capital to do so.

"If the Yuan army came and they camped outside the city and failed to capture it after a long siege, do you think Xu Song would give them a good time?
"If the Xu Song army comes and they fail to capture the city after a long siege, will the Yuan army let them go?
“As for our army, as long as the defenders of Dunbao hold out for three to six months and send out smoke signals, we can calmly prepare in other places and gather troops to support them. How can we abandon Dunbao?
"Besides, there are still 10,000 troops stationed in Anqing behind the fort, who can provide mobile support. With these 10,000 mobile troops, it is possible for me to guard it for one or two years, let alone half a year. One or two years is enough time for us to train another 100,000 troops."

Feng Guoyong nodded repeatedly after listening to this. This was indeed the case. The defenders on the southern front were not fighting alone. As long as they could hold on for a period of time, the rear would be able to raise a large army for support.

So he rolled his eyes and asked immediately, "Has the Marshal thought about this day a long time ago?"

Lu Jin was not modest and nodded immediately. "Ever since I thought of the muskets and artillery, I have been thinking about how to use this bastion. However, it is not specially prepared for the southern front, but for river defense fortifications.

"I originally planned to use this kind of bastion in conjunction with the artillery platform, and use large-caliber long-range artillery to block the surface of the Yangtze River. By then, no matter who the enemy is, without our permission, not a single ship will be able to come over, and the entire Jiangnan region will belong to us.

"But since we need to transfer troops from the southern front, it would be fine to use this bastion on the southern front."

Feng Guoyong nodded, and suddenly realized, "I see. Then this bastion is specially designed for the southern line. Even if it is to block the river, it must be near Anqing. It can be said that it has a connection with Anqing."

Feng Guoyong then changed the subject and asked again, "Such a sharp fortress doesn't look very difficult to build. If the enemy learns how to build it in a dangerous place, how will our army attack in the future?"

"Hahahaha." Lu Jin laughed immediately after hearing that.

"Sir, you worry too much. This bastion is useful, but don't you think that thousands of years later, there has been no genius who came up with a similar pier? Why didn't they put it into practice?"

Without waiting for Feng Guoyong to answer, Lu Jin explained himself.

"That's because the important thing about this kind of bastion is not the fortress itself, but the defenders who are good at using firearms. If there are no firearms, especially cannons, and they only use bows and crossbows for defense, then this slope will really become a help for the enemy to climb the city, just as you said before. The enemy can even push carts to climb the city, or send armored cavalry to rush in with bows and crossbows!
"It's not the bastion that's so powerful, but the firearms inside!"

Feng Guoyong frowned and thought for a moment, then asked, "But what if the enemy army has also learned how to use guns and cannons? The Yuan army also has a large number of guns and cannons. Although they are not as sophisticated as those made by our army, they should also be usable, right?"

Lu Jin smiled when he heard this, and couldn't help but raise one corner of his mouth, revealing a dragon king-like smile, and asked back.

"Don't say their guns and cannons are useless. Even if they can build the same ones as ours, do you think I have a way to break the fort I designed?"

"So that's it!" Feng Guoyong suddenly realized and smiled knowingly.

(End of this chapter)