Zhutian: Starting from the Space-Time Merchant

Chapter 305 Digging Holes, Planting Mines, and Filling Them Back
"The cow has been slaughtered."

"So many cows were killed."

Looking at the images of cattle being slaughtered indiscriminately in the Yuan army camp displayed on the screen, Lin Dao stroked his chin and thought, "Are they going to fight to the death?"

Although the herders on the grasslands raise cattle and sheep, their staple food is mainly dairy products.

Meat is only eaten in critical situations.

At this time, cattle and sheep were being slaughtered in various Yuan army camps, clearly indicating that a critical moment had arrived.

"Eat meat to fight!"

"Okay, let's eat too!"

South Africa is also a major livestock producer, with beef and mutton accounting for a significant proportion of its livestock exports.

Lin Dao has rented several large cold storage facilities here, storing a lot of beef and mutton processed by slaughterhouses.

Since a decisive battle was inevitable, Lin Dao was not going to hold back.

He brought in hundreds of tons of beef and mutton, allowing the soldiers to eat as much as they wanted.

You can eat as much as you want, there's no limit.

More than 20,000 soldiers and their families are all entitled to eat.

To boost morale, they even distributed bone broth to the people in the city.

It wasn't that Lin Dao couldn't afford to hire all the people in the city, but rather that he had to show preferential treatment to the soldiers.

Next, they'll need to risk their lives.

Lan Shi held the bowl, eating while tears streamed down her face.

"This is the first time in my life I've ever eaten beef."

She wiped away her tears as she spoke, "The cows I used to see all belonged to landlords."

"This is the greatest treasure of a farmer's family, more precious than life itself."

"When I was little, I dreamed that my family would have a cow. If we had a cow, my dad wouldn't have to work so hard."

"Later, my father fell ill and died."

"We sold the family's fields to pay for medical treatment and funerals, and we never thought about having cattle again."

Ma Xiuying, who was standing nearby, comforted her softly, "The Ming King will definitely make our lives better, and then every household will have cattle."

"As long as the barbarians are driven away, everything will be alright."

"Here, have another piece, it's so delicious!"

“Yes.” Lan opened her mouth and took a bite of a piece of beef. “Everything will be alright.”

The soldiers ate and drank their fill, then had a good night's sleep; even the night school was suspended for the night.

In the dead of night, a group of Red Turban soldiers personally trained by Lin Dao fell from the city wall and, under the moonlight, dug pits, planted mines, and filled them with soil in many places outside the city.

This time, they planted not only directional mines, but also bounding mines.

This thing is far more lethal than a directional mine.

Furthermore, Lin Dao had specially arranged for several long power lines, each hundreds of meters long, to detonate the explosives.

The chosen location was far from the city wall, specifically for bombing archers and musketeers.

The Red Turban Army, having completed their task, returned to the city wall in baskets.

The copywriters asked questions one by one, and the Red Turban Army members marked the locations and types on the maps.

This is important for the post-battle cleanup, and Lin Dao doesn't want his own people to step on it.

In addition to landmines, Lin Dao also brought out the highest-powered weapon for individual firepower from his armory.

Three Gatling guns, plus spare barrel parts, and hundreds of boxes of general-purpose ammunition.

One gun was prepared at each of the three city gates, so that Lin Dao could go wherever reinforcements were urgently needed.

As dawn broke, the troops inside and outside the city all began to rise and prepare for battle.

The Red Turban Army soldiers inside the city washed up and then lined up for food.

For breakfast, we had mutton soup and steamed buns.

They ate and drank until they were full.

The military dependents nearby were also busy boiling water to cool it down and make herbal tea.

After the soldiers had eaten and drunk their fill, they came over with their water bottles and filled them with cool tea.

Afterwards, we returned to the camp and began queuing to use the dry toilets.

After finishing these tasks, the soldiers began to put on their armor.

The greatest strength of the forest road lies in its ability to provide almost unlimited resources for this era.

Iron armor, which has always been a strategic resource for all dynasties, can be easily provided to everyone in the forest.

These armor plates, manufactured and polished in the modern world, are crafted by master craftsmen from various time periods into armor with superior defensive capabilities, far surpassing the inferior ironware of this era.

Wear a silk lining and then don the full set of armor.

They picked up their weapons and lined up to leave the camp.

When leaving the camp, everyone received an emergency food ration in a plastic bag.

The bag contained two compressed biscuits, a bag of White Rabbit milk candy, two cans of Red Bull for energy, and a roll of toilet paper.

Some of the troops went up to the city wall, while others served as reserves below the city.

Stretcher teams composed of military dependents and medical teams are ready.

Next, they simply waited for the Yuan army to come and die.

Outside Gaoyou City, countless Yuan troops surged in.

Halberds and spears stood like a forest, while cattle and horses moved about like a river.

Especially outside the East Gate, the endless Yuan army was all dressed in white, with white flags everywhere.

They didn't surrender by raising a white flag; instead, they held a funeral.

Today, the one attacking the east gate is Bolotemur.

He consolidated his father's legacy under the guise of avenging his father.

In addition to the direct troops of the Sanjiwu clan, there were also scouts from Yunnan, Xiangyang and other places, Han troops, local landlord militias, and so on.

The army numbered in the tens of thousands.

Looking out from the city wall, the sheer number of soldiers resembled a swarm of ants, enough to make one's scalp tingle.

At this moment, deafening sounds of battle erupted from both the north and south of Gaoyou City.

The Yuan army, attacking from both directions, has already begun its operations.

Bolod Timur, expressionless, raised his knife and swung it forward with great force.

"Kill~~~"

Tens of thousands of soldiers roared, their voices shaking the mountains.

The first to charge out were the Han soldiers, also known as the puppet troops, who served as cannon fodder. Their main role was to attrition.

Among the military households in the Yuan Dynasty, the Han soldiers received the worst treatment.

Once you become a military household, you cannot change to another type of household registration.

When traveling to various places to fight or defend, one had to pay for the travel expenses oneself.

This is just the beginning.

Once they arrive at their destination, they will also have to bear the military expenses themselves.

If not, you have to ask your family for it.

Later, it became a custom that Han soldiers' families had to send a batch of military supplies to the army every year, called "Feng Chun".

In name only, it was definitely intended for use by the military households of their own families.

In reality, given the extent of corruption within the Yuan court at that time, not even a single grain of rice from these supplies could have actually reached the hands of the military households.

Moreover, the Han military households in various regions have been owed food and pay for a long time, and many of them are struggling to survive.

They relied entirely on extortion, robbery, military rewards, and the distribution of spoils after the massacre of the city.

Their morale and fighting spirit can be imagined.

'Boom boom boom~~~'

As expected, the Han army, surging forward like a tide, repeatedly triggered landmines.

Countless steel balls flew in all directions, piercing through body after body.

Every time a landmine explodes, a whole area collapses.

Especially the terrifying bounding mines.

It doesn't explode when you step on it, but once you move your foot away, the shallowly buried bounding mine will bounce up to a height of nearly one meter and then explode.

The built-in steel balls, bolts, fragments, etc. fly in all directions.

A height of about one meter is roughly in the lower three areas.

The pain and suffering this place endured after such a devastating blow is unimaginable.

Outside Gaoyou City, there was a continuous sound of eggs breaking.

Landmines in the modern world are not meant to kill, but to injure.

A wounded soldier is a far greater burden than a dead one.

Before long, the area outside Gaoyou City was filled with unfortunate men whose lower bodies were covered in blood, lying in pools of blood, rolling around and screaming in agony.

Such a tragic scene sent chills down the spines of the troops that followed, causing them to halt in their tracks.

"Ah~~~"

A scream came from behind.

Bolot Timur's personal guards galloped back and forth on horseback, raining down arrows and continuously shooting down the soldiers who were stamping their feet.

A large number of armored soldiers, armed with weapons, stepped forward to threaten them.

Anyone within range of the attack will be met with swords and spears.

The Han army had no choice but to grit their teeth and continue charging forward.

There was no way around it; the brutality of the Mongols over the years had long since terrified these Han soldiers.

The Han army, like a surging tide, used their own bodies to clear the minefield.

Normally, they could retreat to rest and recuperate at this point.

Although they didn't treat the Han soldiers as human beings, they were still useful after all.

But this time was different. Bolod Timur was determined to break through the city and forced the Han army to charge in with their lives.

The Han soldiers, carrying long ladders, erected them on the city wall.

A ladder with barbs at the top was wedged into the crenellations, and Han soldiers below surrounded it for support. The bravest men, shields in hand and swords in their teeth, climbed up with one hand.

Arrows rained down from the city walls.

Lacking armor protection, the Han soldiers fell in droves.

Bolotemur, on horseback, waved his hand expressionlessly, "Add another commander of a thousand."

The Han soldiers, pale-faced, gritted their teeth and continued their advance under the threat of swords, spears, and arrows.

A Mongol general beside him advised him, "Such coercion may incite a mutiny."

"The Han people are as weak as cattle and sheep."

Bolotemur scoffed, "Kill all those who dare to resist, and the rest will only cry."

"As you can see, the Red Turban Thieves have many tricks up their sleeves, and the Fire Dragon is yet to be unleashed."

"If we can't force the Red Turban bandits to reveal all their trump cards, these things will fall into the hands of our Mongol warriors."

The Mongol and Semu people fell silent.

On the other side, a large number of laborers, carrying burlap sacks filled with mud and sand, were rushing forward with all their might.

Braving a hail of arrows, they piled up burlap sacks at the foot of the city wall, which gradually accumulated to form an earthen mound.

Bolod Timur never expected to be able to breach the city with long ladders.

He chose to use human lives and burlap sacks to create a sloping earthen ramp outside the city wall, large enough for people to walk on.

The siege was extremely brutal, and this brutality was mainly directed at the Han army.

Finally, someone couldn't stand this suicidal fighting style any longer and began to fight back with a sword.

But they would soon be killed by the supervisory team.

The courage of the others also crumbled.

They could only place their hopes on the ability to breach the city walls.

The siege, which began in the morning, continued until noon.

Countless Han soldiers and laborers fell outside the city.

Their corpses, along with the sacks, were thrown down to the foot of the city wall, gradually piling up into a slope nearly two zhang high and over twenty zhang wide.

The city walls of Gaoyou were not even three zhang high in total.

At this moment, the Yuan soldiers who rushed over could simply climb up the city wall by clinging to the crenellations.

Looking up at the sky, Bolotemur nodded to several Han generals.

These people were not imperial soldiers, but rather local landlord militia leaders from Yunnan and Xiangyang.

Bolod Timur himself was the Darughachi of Xiangyang.

His father, Dashibadulu, was the Grand Marshal of the Dali Pacification Commission.

The local militias in both places were established with the support of the father and son.

Only at this point in the battle did he commit his real troops to the fighting.

(End of this chapter)