Late Yuan Dynasty: I am the true emperor

Chapter 179: Unified Opinion
Although the bastion is difficult to conquer, since Lu Jin dared to propose it, he is not afraid of being learned by others. Besides, this thing is not something that can be learned just by looking at it once.

The key to a bastion lies in firearms and the problem of firing range, not simply an engineering problem. If we only consider the engineering construction, then it is actually much simpler. To put it bluntly, this thing is just a big mound of earth, which is definitely easier to build than a Chinese city.

Feng Guoyong was somewhat relieved when he heard that Lu Jin had a way to break the bastion, but he still had some doubts about the effectiveness of the bastion. After all, this time he was only looking at the sand table model and listening to Lu Jin's introduction. It was hard to say whether this thing could withstand so many enemy troops if a real fight broke out.

What if this thing is not as effective as Lu Jin said, and Anqing is taken away by the enemy again? It will probably not be easy for them to seize Jiangxi again in the future.

Feng Guoyong immediately raised this doubt in a subtle way.

"General, Anqing is the eastern gate of Jiangzhou. If such an important city is placed in a few forts, what if..."

Seeing that he still had concerns, Lu Jin spoke immediately.

"There is no such thing as a surprise. I also know that there is no unbreakable city in this world, and the same goes for fortresses. I never thought that the bastion would be foolproof, so I just need it to buy us a few months of time. Then we can always find a way to transfer troops to support us.

"Besides, even if something unexpected happens and Anqing is captured by the enemy, it is not irreversible. Don't act as if the sky has fallen if Anqing is lost."

"Well, what do you mean, Marshal?" Feng Guoyong asked in confusion.

Lu Jin stamped his feet in the room before explaining in detail.

"Anqing's terrain is a river between two mountains. Anqing is located in the middle of this narrow riverside plain. Occupying Anqing can cut off the east-west connection of the Yangtze River. At the same time, Anqing is the eastern gate of Jiangzhou (Jiujiang). To capture Jiangzhou, you must first capture Anqing. To defend Jiangzhou, you must first capture Anqing. Without Anqing, Jiangzhou cannot be defended.

"But if we want Anqing to play the above roles, there is actually a prerequisite."

"What conditions?" Feng Guoyong asked immediately.

"Anqing is backed by the Dabie Mountains and faces the Yangtze River to the east. It is said that it cuts off the Yangtze River and connects the east and the west, but in fact, this is not very good for Anqing itself. It is indeed a strategic point between the east and west of the Yangtze River, and it is also a place of contention for military strategists, becoming the target of public criticism in the eyes of the two groups on the east and west of the Yangtze River.

"If Anqing exists independently, it can't resist the troops from Jiangxi in the west or the elite troops from Dongwu in the east by relying on the food, population and manpower of this narrow strip of land. If Anqing wants to play the role of cutting off the Yangtze River, it must have a region behind it to rely on and support it.

"For example, with the support of Jiangxi, relying on the population and military food of the entire province of Jiangxi, Anqing can stop the full-scale attack of Jiangnan. The same is true for Jiangnan. Anqing can only stop the Jiangxi troops from going east with the full support of Jiangnan. Without the support of these two major regional groups, Anqing is nothing. Do you understand what I mean?

"Anqing is powerful and useful, but the premise is that it must be controlled by a big force. Without the support from behind, what can it accomplish with just a small narrow strip of flat land near the river?"

Listening to Lu Jin's analysis from a strategic perspective, looking at Anqing from the perspective of two provincial regions, Feng Guoyong suddenly opened his mouth wide. This was the first time he heard such a statement, but he felt that Lu Jin's words did make sense.

Lu Jin said again at this time.

“Therefore, even if Anqing is lost, as long as we can hold Wuwei, Lujiang, and Shucheng, and we draw out the elite divisions to take Jiangnan, and then use the powerful forces of the Eastern Wu in Jiangnan to attack Jiangxi in full force, then Anqing will be unstoppable.

"At most, we can send a small army to guard Anqing, and let the main force bypass Anqing and attack Jiangzhou, and then go south to take all of Jiangxi. Anqing will probably have no way to deal with it. By then, Jiangnan and Jiangxi will be in our hands, and we can attack Anqing from both sides. Who do you think can stop us? I'm afraid Anqing will surrender before we can even attack from both sides."

Hearing what Lu Jin said, Feng Guoyong wanted to say something, but before he could open his mouth, Lu Jin interrupted him.

"I know what you are going to say. You think my deduction is too idealistic and the war may not go so smoothly. It is true, but the current situation is not as simple as I said. The reality is more complicated.

"The current situation is that we are in the north, not the east, and we only occupy the southern part of the Huai River. Xu Song occupies Hubei and has not entered Jiangxi. Jiangxi is actually in the hands of the Yuan court, but the Yuan court is weak in Jiangxi. If it has to face two rebel forces in the east and the west at the same time, it will be helpless. Therefore, it is only a matter of time before Jiangxi is divided between us and Xu Song.

"I never thought that we and Xu Song could take over Jiangxi before the other side entered Jiangxi.

"It takes time for us to conquer Jiangsu and Zhejiang, and it also takes time to integrate the food, population, and soldiers of Jiangsu and Zhejiang. The same is true for Xu Song. They also need time to capture Hunan, Hubei, Jingxiang, and other places.

"When we and Xu Song have become powerful and march towards Jiangxi, there will inevitably be a fierce battle. Whoever can seize Jiangxi will be able to swallow up the other side in a flash and take over the Three Lakes!

“So, what we should do now is to mobilize all the elite forces that can be mobilized and work hard to capture Jiangsu and Zhejiang. As for Anqing, we should occupy it first and then prepare for active defense.

"It would be best if we can hold on to it, because it will give us some initiative and advantage in the future battle for Jiangxi. It would be a pity if we lost it, but it would not be a complete loss. At most, it would be a little more difficult in the future battle for Jiangxi. But as long as we can take over Jiangsu and Zhejiang, we can afford this expenditure. Do you understand?"

"I see. Then let's do as the Marshal said and actively defend."

After hearing Lu Jin's explanation, Feng Guoyong finally understood Lu Jin's strategic intention. He no longer worried about this issue and asked again.

"But if we use active defense with only three regiments, how can we establish the Anqing defense line, and how many gun towers and forts should we build?"

"It's not the Anqing Defense Line, it's the Wanshui Defense Line and the Congyang River Defense Fortress." Lu Jin corrected, then immediately took out Liao Yongan's battle plan and pointed to the map attached to it.

"This long and narrow riverside plain in Anqing is almost flat, with no dangerous places to defend. The only natural defense lines are the Wanshui River and Shahe River. Liao Yongan's battle plan also revolves around these two rivers, so we can just use the Wanshui River as the defense line and build defensive fortifications around it."

Lu Jin pointed to the map in the direction of Wanshui River and continued.

"The Wan River flows eastward from the Dabie Mountains, first flowing northward, then turning southward, and then northward again, and finally flows into the Yangtze River at Shankou Town south of Anqing. There are only two cities in the entire river basin, a mountain, Qianshan County, and Anqing City.

"Where there are already cities, we only need to reinforce them, and there is no need to build bastions. There are three places where we need to build forts. The first is here, Wanshan. This is the only commanding height south of the Wan River and around Anqing. We must control it in our hands. If this mountain is occupied by the enemy, it will be difficult to defend Qianshan County.

“Second, it is the South Bay of the Wanshui River in the east. It protrudes to the south, but there is no city. It is also between Qianshan and Anqing, so it is a defense loophole. We must build a fort here to prevent the enemy from crossing the river.

"The third is Shankou Town at the mouth of the Wanshui River. It is a large town and also an important port in Anqing, the middle section of the Yangtze River. Building a fort here can not only collect commercial taxes, but also serve as a forward barrier for Anqing, so that Anqing will not face direct enemy attacks. With this fort, Anqing can be used as a rear base to provide continuous support for the fortresses in the front." The above three fortresses, plus Qianshan and Anqing City, a total of five castles, are important fulcrums of the Wanshui defense line.

"The other is the Congyang River Defense Fortress. Congyang is similar to Shankou Town, as well as Wuwei and Wujiang in our hands. They are all important commercial towns relying on ports. They are crowded with ships and are the best places for the enemy's navy to land. Of course, they must be defended.

“Therefore, we need to build a fort in Congyang. In addition, there is a green mountain in the north of Congyang that serves as a commanding height, overlooking Congyang Town. We should build a fort here, one high and one low with Congyang Fort, to support each other.

“Moreover, Congyang is across the river from Guichi on the other side, and there are three islands in the middle of the river that echo each other. It is a good place to cross the river, and it is also a good place to cut off the Yangtze River. It is best to build a fort on the riverside, equipped with large-caliber long-range artillery, and use artillery fire to block the entire river surface.

“If conditions permit, it would be best to choose a suitable location on these three islands in the middle of the river to build a water fort. At the same time, artillery batteries can also be built on the high ground on the islands, so that it will be easier to intercept ships on the river.

"This fort in Zongyang, with two or three artillery batteries, together form a river defense fortress."

Feng Guoyong frowned and asked immediately, "The Marshal said that one bastion needs a battalion to garrison, which means there are at least six bastions. One regiment may not be enough."

"It's enough. I think one battalion is too many to guard one bastion. Four or five hundred people are enough to guard a bastion. One battalion is stationed in one bastion, and the soldiers can take turns to rest inside. In this way, the three bastions on the Wanshui defense line only need three battalions.

"It's the same with the bastions in Zongyang. As for the two artillery batteries, even fewer troops are needed. They mainly need gunners, not so many infantrymen. Two to three hundred people are enough for one battery.

"Besides, even if one regiment is not enough, at most we can recruit two battalions of local internal security militia to help with the guard. It's not a big deal."

After hearing this, Feng Guoyong finally felt relieved. Yes, even if one regiment was not strong enough, the worst that could happen was to recruit more militia. The internal security army system established by Lu Jin was originally to help defend the local area. Whether it was defending the city or the artillery position, it was actually the same.

He immediately began to calculate. There were three battalions on the Wanshui defense line and three battalions in Tongyang, which was considered a regiment of troops. Add one regiment in Qianshan and one regiment in Anqing, and the total strength of the entire southern line was three regiments. In this way, the elite of two regiments could be drawn to participate in the river crossing operation.

Two regiments were drawn from the southern front, two regiments each from the eastern and northern fronts, plus a combined brigade of Lu Jin's Imperial Guards, which added up to nearly two regiments of troops, making a total of nearly eight regiments. It would be great if one more regiment could be drawn from the outer front, but the outer front also had to defend such a large area, and having too few troops would not do. Feng Guoyong still felt that the troops were not enough for crossing the river.

Lu Jin said that the essence of the world today is all in the Three Lakes, which gathers more than 60% of the world's grain and population. Feng Guoyong also agreed with this statement, but now that he knew this, he should be clear about how difficult it would be to fight Jiangsu and Zhejiang. According to the intelligence currently available, in Dangtu on the other side of the strait alone, a militia marshal named Chen Yexian has tens of thousands of troops under his command. This is like a monster to Lu Jin, Zhima Li and other Jiangbei forces.

Lu Jin and his men worked so hard and conquered more than ten counties before they were able to gather a main force of 60,000 to 70,000. On the other side, Chen Yexian could mobilize nearly 100,000 troops from the tiny Jiqing Road. If they didn't prepare more troops, how could they defeat them when they crossed the river?
Seeing that he was still frowning and silent, Lu Jin asked, "Sir, do you have any other concerns?"

Feng Guoyong hesitated for a moment after hearing this, but still expressed his thoughts.

"According to the Marshal's arrangement, two regiments can be drawn from the southern line. If the northern and eastern lines follow the same pattern, two regiments can be drawn from each line. Together with the Marshal's imperial guards, a total of seven or eight regiments can be gathered. Although it is not a small number, I still feel that I am not very confident.

"The Marshal also said that the essence of the world is in the Three Lakes. I agree with him. Let's talk about Chen Yexian who is facing us across the river. He is just a marshal who recruited local militiamen. He can raise nearly 100,000 troops in Jiqing Road alone. This shows the strength of the army in the south of the Yangtze River. If we have fewer troops crossing the river, how can we capture Jiankang?"

Lu Jin smiled when he heard this, "So you are worried about this, sir, but I don't think so. As the old saying goes, it is easy to get a thousand soldiers, but it is difficult to get a good general. It can be seen that the number of soldiers is not important, the key is to see what kind of generals lead them.

"Let's talk about the former Deputy Marshal of East Zhejiang, Dong Tuanxiao. He originally controlled such abundant money, food and military resources in Jiangnan, but he couldn't even defeat Fang Guozhen. He was defeated repeatedly and fought for three years until his entire army was annihilated by Fang Guozhen many times. Although they were all naval battles, it can be seen from this.

"Jiangsu and Zhejiang are so rich, and the people have suffered a lot from the oppression of the Yuan court. Now the righteous armies are rising up all over the country, but no one in Jiangsu and Zhejiang dares to start an uprising. It can be seen that they are all a bunch of cowards.

"Even if Chen Yexian has 70,000 or 80,000 soldiers like this, they are nothing but chickens and dogs in my eyes. And Chen Yexian himself, with tens of thousands of troops under his command, did not dare to cross the river to attack me. It can be seen that he is short-sighted and a traitor.

"I have tens of thousands of elite soldiers and powerful generals under my command. Why should I be afraid of a single person like Chen Yexian? Sir, you don't have to take it to heart.

"Even if you are really worried about the lack of troops, didn't I say before that you underestimated the number of troops? The first thing you underestimated is that you can expand the army on the southern front by one regiment, and the second thing is that you can replace the troops with passes and reduce the garrison. In fact, there is a third thing you underestimated."

"What is the third place?" Feng Guoyong asked immediately.

"The third place is the war on the northern front. This year, the Yuan court will definitely send a large army to sweep the canal. Zhima Li will not be able to escape. By then, as long as we operate properly, we will definitely be able to capture a group of Xuzhou remnants, at least one or two regiments of troops. With these troops, it will be enough to cross the river, right?" Lu Jin reminded.

In fact, there is another force that he has not mentioned yet, and that is Deng Yu's troops in Xuyi area. However, it is still unclear whether Deng Yu will come, and it is also unknown how many soldiers he can bring if he comes. Since there is no certainty, it is better not to include it now.

When Feng Guoyong heard that Lu Jin was planning on such a vague thing, he thought that even if the defeated soldiers from Xuzhou joined in, it would be a long time before that, and it was still unclear whether they could be quickly transformed into combat power. At most, they could only stay in Luzhou to assist in the defense.

He wanted to remind Lu Jin immediately, but Lu Jin raised his hand to interrupt him again.

"I know what you are going to say, sir. This matter is still uncertain. Crossing the river is a matter of great importance. We cannot focus on these defeated soldiers. So I mentioned this matter just now just for Mr. An's sake. Even without these soldiers, with our current strength, I am confident that we can capture Dangtu, or at least gain a foothold in Dangtu as a bridgehead.

"As for taking Dangtu, at worst we can recruit and train soldiers from the local area and advance to Jiankang more slowly, but there will still be no problem in successfully crossing the river."

Feng Guoyong was stunned when he heard this, and asked in some doubt, "Marshal, are you sure you can take down Dangtu?"

"Well, I'm at least 80% sure." Lu Jin nodded affirmatively.

Good man, 'at least' is '80%', what's the difference between that and being 100% sure? ? ?
Feng Guoyong then asked again, "What is the Marshal's plan?"

This time, Lu Jin shook his head. "I can't tell you. I came up with this plan by chance when I was looking at the other side of the river in Heyang. I found that there were loopholes in Dangtu's city defense, which could be easily broken by the attackers. However, the other side didn't notice it. So it's better not to tell you about this. If it gets to the ears of the other side, it will only cause more trouble when crossing the river in the future."

Upon hearing this, Feng Guoyong knew that this matter was of great importance, and the fewer people who knew about it the better. He did not ask any more questions and just said.

"Since the Marshal is so confident about crossing the river, I have nothing to worry about. I agree to launch an offensive on the southern front immediately and capture Anqing. We can capture Anqing within a month and then set up the Wanshui defense line. We still have half a year. If we delay any further, I'm afraid it will be too late."

(End of this chapter)