Late Yuan Dynasty: I am the true emperor

Chapter 305 Sweeping Jinling Four

When everyone heard Lu Jin's deployment, they looked at the map and couldn't help but sigh that Jiankang City was really big.

Jiankang City is long from north to south and narrow from east to west. Of course, this is only relative. In fact, the span from east to west is about six or seven miles, but the north-south direction is longer. The longest western city wall is probably ten miles long. In comparison, it would be easier to attack by cutting it in half from the east to west as Lu Jin said.

In addition, this was also the first time for them to experience what the Jiangnan water town is like.

There are lakes on the east, west and north sides of the city. There is Xuanwu Lake in the north, Yanque Lake in the east and Mochou Lake in the west. In addition to Mochou Lake, there are also messy rivers and swamps in the west, which are called Luanhao by the locals. It is difficult for the army to deploy its battle formation there, and there is simply "nowhere to stay".

There are many rivers in the city. Although these Chaohu veterans have seen the Jindou River in Luzhou City, the complexity of the water system in Luzhou City cannot be compared with the Qinhuai River in Jiankang.

In addition to the ten-mile Qinhuai River that runs through the city from east to west, there are also tributaries such as Yundu and Qingxi, which divide the area within the city into several parts. These rivers are not narrow. If you are not prepared in advance, it is easy for the rivers to block your attack route when you arrive in the city.

This is why Lu Jin decided to attack from the east gate. Not only is the east-west direction narrower and easier to control, but another consideration is that most of the rivers in Jiankang City run from east to west. If the main attack force attacks from the north and south, they will have to cross the river constantly along the way, which will definitely slow down the attack speed. However, this problem will not be encountered in the east-west direction.

However, Lu Jin still asked Ji Xuan, "Ji Xuan, if we march north from the south gate, there is the Qinhuai River blocking the way to the north. Where should the army cross the river? I see a lot of bridges marked on this map. Which bridges can accommodate carriages and artillery vehicles to cross the river?"

Ji Xuan immediately came to the map and asked Lu Jin, "Excuse me, Marshal, how heavy is this artillery vehicle?"

"Not counting the men and horses, the gun carriage alone weighs eight or nine hundred kilograms."

Ji Xuan thought about it after hearing this, and immediately pointed to the location opposite the south gate, "The Suzaku Bridge in the middle can accommodate large vehicles. Ordinary horse-drawn carriages carrying several people can pass through, so I think artillery carriages should be able to pass as well."

When Lu Jin heard the name, he was in a trance for a moment, and instantly recalled the poem, "Wild grass and flowers beside Zhuque Bridge, the setting sun at the entrance of Wuyi Lane, the swallows in front of the halls of the wealthy and the wealthy, now fly into the homes of ordinary people. This bridge should have been built before the Sui Dynasty, right? Is it still there now?"

Ji Xuan immediately explained, "This place is located in the central axis of the city, facing the Six Dynasties Imperial Palace, and is located in the Suzaku position to the south of the Imperial Palace, hence the name. Due to its important location, it has been repaired many times in later generations, so the bridge is still there today."

Lu Jin nodded and asked again, "One bridge is not enough, choose another place to cross the river."

Ji Xuan thought for a moment and said, "The Zhenhuai Bridge built by the Song Dynasty is also an option. This bridge is 16 feet long and is built of bricks and stones. It is very solid and can accommodate carriages and horses."

Lu Jin looked again and asked, "Is there no bridge near Confucius Temple?"

"No, there is only one Taoye Ferry, and it is very dangerous, with many people falling into the water. During the Song and Yuan Dynasties, although the water quality of the Qinhuai River is no longer as good as before, it is still dangerous to cross the river from here." Ji Xuan explained.

Lu Jin was amazed. The Confucius Temple is a landmark for later generations and a place that one must visit when visiting Nanjing. Lu Jin is not originally from Nanjing and is not familiar with the city. In his simple value system, it is unbelievable that such a prosperous place does not have a bridge connecting the two sides.

In fact, the Lishe Bridge in Confucius Temple was not built until the Qing Dynasty. At first, it was a wooden bridge built with funds donated by private individuals. It was shaky when walked on. Later, it was changed to a stone bridge. During the Yuan and Ming Dynasties before the Qing Dynasty, there was only a ferry but no bridge near Confucius Temple.

Lu Jin pointed to a place marked as Yinhong Bridge and asked, "Can't we walk here?"

Ji Xuan immediately said, "Yinhong Bridge is just as its name suggests, it is an arch bridge with a very high arch. Horses can barely pass through it, but cars definitely can't. Usually, only pedestrians walk across the bridge."

Lu Jin nodded. Look, this is the advantage of having local people, no, having intelligence personnel who are familiar with the local conditions. They can assist in formulating offensive plans and reduce the chances of making mistakes.

Looking at the generals present, Lu Jin immediately began to call out names and assign tasks. "Tonghai, Desheng, the two of you attack the south gate, Yang Jing and the 37th Regiment attack the north gate, Zhu Shou and Zhang Wen attack the east gate, and the two of you lead the Imperial Guard Brigade all the way to the west gate to cut off the north and south of Jiankang, and then turn around and attack north and south."

When Yang Jing heard the deployment of the troops, he immediately frowned. Seeing this, Lu Jin asked, "What's the problem, Yang Jing?"

Yang Jing looked around and saw that he was surrounded by veterans of the Shengwu Army and Dong Xingyao was not there, so he spoke in a low voice.

“The Marshal asked Dong Xingyao’s 37th Regiment to participate in the siege. This is a group of troops that have just surrendered and have not been trained by us. Not to mention their combat effectiveness is questionable, I am not saying that they will turn against us at the last minute. Even if they are just there to work but not put in any effort, the consequences will be very serious.

"The North City is vast, much larger than the South City. Only my four regiments are responsible for the main attack. If the 37th Regiment does not contribute, the North City will have too few troops."

As soon as these words were spoken, Zhu Shou, Zhang Wen, Yu Tonghai, Zhang Desheng and others also looked at Lu Jin. They did not trust these surrendered generals very much, but they did not dare to leave their backs to them. In case these people rebelled in the battle, their troops would probably be trapped in the city and unable to get out.

Lu Jin thought for a moment and said, "After this battle, you will still lead troops to the east. You asked me for 28 regiments, but where can I get so many soldiers for you? When the time comes to expand the army, there will definitely be many new people, and these are all surrendered soldiers and generals.

“As the saying goes, trust people when you employ them, and don’t employ people if you don’t trust them. It doesn’t matter if you employ them sooner or later, so why not give them some trust?

"Besides, even if you don't trust Dong Xingyao's surrendered generals, you should have confidence in the instructors we sent over. The surrendered soldiers under Dong Xingyao's command are still waiting for me to distribute land to them. What good will it do to those soldiers if they rebel at this time?"

Yang Jing was stunned when he heard this, and then he suddenly reacted and slapped himself on the forehead, "I was confused and forgot about the instructor. Okay, I have no problem, Marshal, continue to give orders."

Lu Jin thought for a moment and said, "If you are really worried and feel that the troops are not enough, I will give you two more musket battalions."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Shou and Zhang Wen immediately looked at Lu Jin. They each had only four musket battalions. If they were given to Yang Jing, what would they use to attack the east gate?

Lu Jin said immediately, "I'm talking about the four chariot battalions of the Imperial Guard Brigade. The soldiers in the chariot battalions are also equipped with muskets. But since crossing the river, I found that there seems to be some problems with the organization of the Imperial Guard Brigade. In addition to transporting logistical supplies, this chariot battalion does not seem to have the opportunity to exert its due combat power. Adjustments must be made after the war. Don't forget that these are also four combat battalions with muskets!"

Everyone suddenly realized what he said.

Lu Jin added, "It just so happens that both your north and south sides are full of spearmen, and lack long-range shooting troops. Then we will strengthen the musketeers of these four chariot camps for you. Tonghai and Desheng will each take one, and Yang Jing and Dong Xingyao will each take one. Strengthen your long-range shooting ability and manpower. This should be no problem, right?"

"Yes, that's safe. This way it's safer." The four of them nodded in agreement.

So Lu Jin began to assign the tasks in detail.

"Zhu Shou and Zhang Wen, you two will lead the Xianzhen Camp and four musket battalions, each with five battalions, and attack from the east gate to the west gate. First, cut off the north and south of Jiankang. Then Zhu Shou will lead the army to attack north, and Zhang Wen will lead the second brigade to attack south.

"Yang Jing led the 4th Regiment, Dong Xingyao's 37th Regiment, and two imperial guard battalions to attack from Xuanwu Gate to the south. After joining forces with Zhu Shou, they joined forces to clear out the remaining enemies from the east and west, first dividing the enemy forces and then surrounding and annihilating them.

"The same goes for Tonghai and Desheng. You two will attack from the south gate. Tonghai will go through Zhenhuai Bridge, and Desheng will go through Zhuque Bridge. Attack northwards, and after joining forces with Zhang Wen's Second Brigade, clear out the remaining enemies from the east and west.

“The two artillery battalions of the Guards Brigade, field guns and heavy howitzers, stayed outside the city, built artillery positions, bombarded the city walls, and covered the army’s entry into the city.

"Two light howitzer companies, with a total of 32 guns, will be assigned to you in three directions. Follow you into the city to join the battle. Yang Jing and Dong Xingyao will lead guns, with five guns per regiment. Make sure each battalion of the main attack force has a gun to use against large enemy forces or to attack important passes in the city.

"Zhu Shou and Zhang Wen will take 12 gates, and you two will take six gates each. After you reach the west gate, turn around and attack north and south.

"Tonghai and Desheng also have ten guns, each with five cannons. One will attack Zhenhuai Bridge and the other will attack Zhuque Bridge. If the enemy blocks the bridgehead, we will just bombard them!
"Ye Sheng's cavalry regiment will deploy one battalion each in the southeast, northwest, and northeast to intercept any enemy troops that might flee. The Imperial Guard Cavalry Battalion temporarily led by Bian Yuanheng will not participate in the attack, but will stay to protect the headquarters and guard the prisoners.

"Yang Huan and Qin Zhao, the two of you go supervise the prisoners in building artillery positions, use heavy howitzers to bombard the city gates and walls, and cover the main force's attack." Yang Jing, distribute the combat map of the city to the company level, and make sure that each company has a map. If there are not enough maps, let the company commanders come over now to copy the maps and familiarize themselves with the roads in the city.

"Ji Xuan."

"I'm here." Ji Xuan didn't expect that he would have a mission in the siege. When he heard Lu Jin's call, he immediately responded and listened.

Lu Jin immediately ordered, "Tell your intelligence team to send out people who are familiar with the terrain in the city to serve as guides for the army. If there are not enough people, find them from prisoners or locals. Make sure each company has a guide so that they don't get lost in the city.

"Do you understand everything?"

"Understood!" Everyone responded in unison, only Qin Zhao raised his hand weakly.

"What's your problem?" Lu Jin asked with a frown.

Qin Zhao said weakly, "Marshal, the heavy artillery weighs more than 2,000 kilograms. It is difficult to build a gun platform. If it is built too high, it will be difficult to move the gun up. If it is built too low, it will not be able to hit the top of the city."

"Bullshit!" Before he could finish, Lu Jin couldn't help but glared at him and cursed.

"You've pooped out all the geometry I taught you when you went to the toilet? Two rays emanating from the same point have the same angle, and the longer the rays, the longer the third side of the triangle they form? Have you forgotten?!
"An eight-year-old can do this math problem, and now you're telling me you can't solve it?!"

Qin Zhao broke out in a cold sweat. Tao An and Shi Naian, who were standing behind Lu Jin, were even more embarrassed. They had never learned geometry, so wouldn't this make them even worse than an eight-year-old child?
Lu Jin suppressed his anger and said, "The cannon's charge and firing angle remain unchanged. If you can't hit it at close range, can't you pull the cannon back? If you can't hit it at 300 meters, pull it to 500 meters. If you can't hit it at 500 meters, pull it to 800 meters. If you can't hit it at that distance, pull it to 1,000 meters.

"The artillery platform doesn't need to be built too high. Just build it two or three meters high so that it can reach the top of the city. Build a slope behind the artillery platform, and you can push it up. We need to make full use of the range advantage of heavy artillery!"

"Yes, I understand." Qin Zhao immediately clasped his fists and accepted the order.

Seeing him like that, Lu Jin warned him again, "Remember to build a limit sill in front of the gun position, put a stopper behind the wheel, reduce the rear seat distance of the gun carriage, and don't let it fall off the gun platform."

"Yes!" Qin Zhao agreed again.

Lu Jin glanced at the generals and asked again, "Does anyone else have any questions?"

"there is none left!"

"Okay, everyone go make your own preparations. Zhu Shou and Zhang Wen will lead their own teams at the East Gate. Yang Jing will be the main general and Dong Xingyao will be the deputy general in the North. Yu Tonghai will be the main general and Zhang Desheng will be the deputy general in the South.

"Yang Heng!"

"I'm here!" Yang Heng, the head of the Logistics Department, immediately stood up.

"Go to the riverside and ask Sang Shijie for a boat, then bring someone to bring the boat over. The three of you will each build your own pontoon bridge and ladder, and prepare the bridge-building equipment. Once the artillery is repaired and the artillery is fired to suppress the city walls, immediately build a bridge across the river and begin the siege."

"Yes!" Everyone took the order and left again.

Watching the generals leave, Tao An and Shi Nai'an couldn't help but sigh in their hearts. It seems that it is no accident that this great commander has come to this point today. In such a large siege battle with tens of thousands of soldiers, Lu Jin was able to arrange it in an orderly manner, with clear orders and letting the generals perform their duties. With this command ability alone, he is fully qualified to be a general, let alone an emperor.

The generals received the orders and left, first taking their respective troops to the combat site, and then the soldiers began to rest and recuperate. The battalion and company commanders were called to the regiment headquarters for a meeting, where they received combat maps, planned attack routes, allocated combat areas, and emphasized the essentials of street fighting.

Not long after, the guides that Ji Xuan found arrived, so they were assigned to each company, ensuring that there was one guide for every 200 people.

Jiankang City is the largest city attacked by the Shengwu Army so far. The city has complex streets, rivers, and bridges. No one can guarantee that a group of outsiders can find their way after entering the city with a map.

Not to mention ancient times, many people had never left their county in their entire lives. Even in later times, some people with poor directions might not be able to find the place even with a mobile phone navigation when they arrived in an unfamiliar city. So Lu Jin prepared everything he could, and provided them with guides, trying to be prepared for any eventuality.

The battalion and company commanders took their guides back and asked for directions again with the map, trying to understand the road conditions in the city and the surrounding buildings in advance.

Yang Huan and Qin Zhao were not idle either. They carried Lu Jin's monocular telescope and personally calculated the artillery parameters to determine the position and height of each artillery position. They then asked the prisoners to build the artillery positions. Each artillery position was built by hundreds of people, some of whom were digging soil and some were building the structures.

In the evening, Yang Heng from the Logistics Department also brought people to deliver a small boat. This small fishing boat, less than ten meters long, is very light. Lu Jin had used it when he attacked Luzhou City. More than twenty people could carry the boat, but this time it was used to build a floating bridge.

The Qinhuai River was diverted outside Jiankang City to form a moat, forming a water defense system known as the "Wuzhong City Moat". Without a floating bridge, you couldn't even reach the city wall, which really caused a lot of trouble for sieges.

Fortunately, the Shengwu Army is no longer what it used to be, and it can mobilize a lot of resources. In order to build these three moats, he can even have people bring boats from the Yangtze River.
At this time, Wanzhebuhua and Danidas, Yuan soldiers in Jiankang City, were patrolling on the top of the city wall. The two were watching the movements of the Shengwu Army outside the city. Wanzhebuhua pointed to the place where the artillery was built and asked in confusion, "What are the bandits doing? They seem to be digging the ground. Are they trying to dig a tunnel to attack the city?"

Danidas shook his head and pointed to the side of the excavation site. "Isn't it ramming something there? It seems like they are trying to build a high platform, maybe a watchtower or something like that."

Wanzhe Buhua frowned and said, "The range of a bow and arrow is only about 120 steps. How can they build an arrow tower so far away? This is almost two miles away. What kind of bows can they use to shoot at us? Even a crossbow would be difficult to use."

Danidas also said, "That can't be a tunnel attack. How can they dig such a long distance? The closer to the city wall, the less time and effort it will take to dig. Besides, there are big rivers inside and outside Jiankang City. If they dig a tunnel into the city, aren't they afraid of flooding?"

While the two were arguing, Bo Jianu, the Vice-Chancellor of Jiangsu and Zhejiang Province, ran over, heard their speculations, and immediately spoke.

"Some time ago, someone came over from Xiaomao Mountain and said that the bandits had a large fire gun that weighed several thousand pounds and could shoot an iron ball weighing dozens of pounds two or three miles away. Lord Yuelu was defeated by this fire gun of the bandits.

"The enemy's building is not an arrow tower, but a gun platform. If the rumors are true, the distance is less than two miles, and the enemy's large fire guns will definitely be able to hit the top of the city. Our soldiers on the top of the city should be careful."

The two men suddenly realized what was going on after hearing this, but Bo Jianu became even more worried.

"The city of Jiankang is high and the moat is deep. If it were just muskets, I wouldn't be too worried. But yesterday, I recruited soldiers from outside the city into the city. Today, there are rumors in the army that the Lu bandits want to give soldiers land, forgive usury, and take back the families of slaves. Now the morale of the army has begun to waver. Although I killed a few, I still can't suppress these rumors. This is a weapon that is more terrifying than the enemy's muskets."

Wanzhebuhua and the others remained silent after hearing this. It was the emperor who lent the money, so what could they do? They couldn't forgive the loans for the soldiers on behalf of the emperor, right?

The next morning, October 6, the fort was built. The army had breakfast and rested for a while. At around nine o'clock in the morning, seeing that all parties were ready, Lu Jin immediately gave the order to start testing the artillery.

Boom boom boom boom boom————

The heavy howitzers on the artillery platforms outside the city fired a test shot one after another and began to correct the trajectory. Only when every shell could hit the top of the city wall stably would they let the guns fire at full power to suppress the defenders on the city wall and cover the three armies' siege of the city.

(End of this chapter)